LIBRARY 

PRINCETON,  BT.  J. 

DONATION   OF 

S  A  M  I!  E  L    A  G  N  E  W  , 

/""      «  III'    ¥  II  ILlIltLPHIi.    V'A  . 

Ao. ...  .'/     '  .  S 

(j        Case,  -\ 

Sh  elf,  Section 3i 

I  _JB ook,  Ho |_.. 

.       7VS? 


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SAMUEL  T.  ARMSTRONG, 

THE   PUBLISHER   OF   THIS   WORK, 

Offers  to  his  numerous  and  liberal  Patrons    the  most   sin- 
cere thanks  for  their    encouragement  afforded  him  in  this  un- 
dertaking; and  while  doing  this,  he  respectfully  requests  a  con- 
tinuance of  their  favors,  in  his  line  of  Business.     At  his  Theo- 
logical Bookstore,  No.  50,  Cornhill,  Boston,   he  offers  to  the 
Religious  Public,  in  particular,  a. very  general  assortment  of 
valuable  Books,  Bibles,  Psalm  Books,  Psalters,  Primers,  Tes- 
taments,  and  School   Books,  as  cheap  as  at  any  store;  he  has 
recently  published  at  his  presses  the  following  works,  Dr.  Bu- 
chanan's Christian  Researches    in  .Asia,  complete,  in  one  vol- 
ume, Dr.  Owen's  Exposition  of  the   Epistle  to  the  Hebrews 
in  4  volumes,  Smith's  Dissertation  on  the  Prophecies,  Foster's 
Essays,  The  Gospel   Treasury,   The   Evangelical    Instructor, 
Baxter's  Saint's  Rest,    The   Platform  of  Church  Discipline, 
Hymns  for  Infant   Minds,   Watts  on   Christian  Communion, 
Abbot's  Sermons  to    Mariners,    Life  of  David  Brainerd,    The 
Young  Minister's  Companion,   Hymns  £>r  Family    Worship, 
by  Rev.  John  Codinan,  Emerson's  Evangelical  Primers,  a  new 
volume  of  Sermons   by  Dr.  Emmons,   Life  of  Mrs.  Ramsay, 
The  Nature,  Extent,  and  Province  of  Human  Reason,  consid- 
ered, The  Imitation   of  Jesus  Christ,    by  Thomas  a  Kempis, 
Milner's    History  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  and   many  others, 
besides  which  he  is  constantly  supplying  himself  with  all  the 
approved  works  published  in  every  part  of  the  union.     Every 
favor  gratefully  acknowledged. 

As  but  a  small  part  of  the^papers  were  returned  before  pub- 
lication, it  is  presumed  a  large  number  of  Subscribers  will  not 
find  their  names  on  the  list  at  the  end  of  the  volume,  to  all  such 
he  offers  this  as  an  excuse,  and  hopes  in  future  to  receive 
their  names  in  season.     Titles  were  annexed  w  hen  known. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2011  with  funding  from 

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http://www.archive.org/details/sacredgeographyoOOpari 


SACRED  GEOGRAPHY: 


OR,   A 


^ 


GAZETTEER    OF    THE    BIBLE. 


CONTAINING,    IN    ALPHABETICAL     ORDER, 


GEOGRAPHICAL  DESCRIPTION 


OF    ALL    THE 

COUNTRIES,  KINGDOMS,   NA'HONS  AND   TRIBES  OF  MEN, 

WITH    ALL    THE 

VILLAGES,    TOWNS,    CITIES,  PROVINCES,  HILLS,    MOUNTAINS,    RIVERS, 

LAKES,  SEAS,  AND  ISLANDS, 

MENTIONED  IN  THE  SACRED  SGR1PIURES,  OR  APOCRYPHA, 

INCLUDING  AN  ACCOUNT  OF   THE 

RELIGION,  GOVERNMENT,  POPULATION,  FULFILMENT  OF  TROPHECIES, 

AND   PRESENT  CONDITION    OF  THE 

MOST    IMPORTANT    PLACES. 

BY  ELIJAH  *  PARISH,    D.  D. 

MINISTER     OF      BYFIELD,      MASSACHUSETTS, 


Embellished  with  a  new  Map  of  the  Principal  Countries  mentioned  in  the  Sacred  Scriptures, 


Here  through  the  flow'ry  walks  of  Eden  rove, 
Court  the  soft  breeze,  or  range  the  spicy  grove; 
There  tread  on  hallowed  ground,  where  angels  trod, 
And  vev'rcnd  Patriarchs  talk'd  as  friends  with  God. 


BOSTON: 

PUBLISHED  BY  SAMUEL  T.  ARMSTRONG. 
No.  50,  CorntuH. 

1813. 


DISTRICT  OF  MASSACHUSETTS,   TO  WIT. 
BE  it  remembered,  that  on  the  ninth  day  ol*  March,  A.  D.  1813,  and  in  the  thirty 
seventh  year  of  the  Independence  of  the  United  States  of  America,   Samuel  T. 
Armstrong,  of  the  said  District,  has  deposited  in  this  office,  the  title  of  a  book, 
the  right  whereof  he  claims  as  proprietor,  in  the  words  following,  to  wit: 

"Sacred  Geography:  or,  a  Gazetteer  of  the  Bible.  Containing,  in  alphabetical 
order,  a  geographical  description  of  all  the  Countries,  Kingdoms,  Nations  and 
Tribes  of  Men,  with  all  the  Villages,  Towns,  Cities,  Provinces,  Hills,  Mountains, 
Rivers,  Lakes,  Seas,  and  Islands,  mentioned  in  the  Sacred  Scriptures  or  Apocry- 
pha, including  an  account  of  the  Religion,  Government,  Population,  fulfilment  of 
Prophecies,  and  present  condition  of  the  most  important  places.  By  Elijah  Parish, 
D  D.  Minister  of  Byfield,  Massachusetts.  Embellished  with  a  new  Map  of  the 
principal  countries  mentioned  in  the  Sacred  Scriptures. 

Here  through  the  flowery  walks  of  Eden  rove, 
Court  the  soft  breeze,  or  range  the  spicy  grove; 
There  tread  on  hallowed  ground,  where  angels  trod, 
And  rev'rend  Patriarchs  talk'd  as  friends  with  Godl'* 
In  conformity  to  the  act  of  the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  intitled,  u  An  act 
for  the  encouragement  of  learning,    bv  securing   the  copies   of  maps,  charis,  Qfid 
books,  to  the  authors  and  proprietors  of  such  copies,  during  the  times  therein  men- 
tioned;" and  also  an  act,  intitled,  "An  act   supplementary  to  an  act  intitled,  an  act 
for  the  encouragement  of  learning  by  securing  the  copies  of  maps,  charts,  and  books, 
to  the  authors  and  proprietors  of  such  copies,  during  the  times  therein  mentioned; 
and  extending  1  lie  benefits  thereof  to  the  arts  of  designing,  engraving,   and  etching 
historical  and  other  prints."  WM.   S.  SHAW, 

Clerk  of  the  District  of  Massachusetts. 


PREFACE. 


J^HE  hour  of  retribution  is  rapidly  approaching,  when  every  litera- 
ry attainment,  however  splendid  in  view  of  the  world,  which  has 
not  a  religious  influence,  will  appear  more  empty,  than  the  bubble, 
glittering  with  the  colors  of  the  rainbow.  Impressed  with  this  awa- 
kening fact,  the  Christian  Pastor  is  solicitous,  that  all  his  studies 
should  enrich  his  sermons,  for  the  spiritual  benefit  of  those,  who 
hear  him.  He  also,  deems  it  a  privilege,  to  publish  those  results  of 
hi-,  inquiries,  which  may  extend  his  services  beyond  the  limited 
sphere  ol  his  personal  labors,  which  mav,  by  the  blessing  of  Heaven, 
continue  his  usefulness,  after  he  slumbers  in  "the  narrow  house." 
Every  literary  production,  which  elucidates  the  Book  of  God,  has 
such  a  tendency.  This  sacred  volume  is  the  luminous  Star,  directing 
all  nations  to  the  New  Jerusalem.  That  author,  then  performs  a  reli- 
gious service,  who  renders  the  meaning  of  the  sacred  writers  more 
evident,  or  the  reading  of  thtm  more  interesting  or  pleasant.  How 
many  thousands  and  thousands  neglect  the  scriptures,  never  acquiring 
the  necessary  knowledge  of  their  contents,  not  because,  they  are  infi- 
dels, not  because,  they  are  abandoned  to  vice,  not  because,  they  have 
any  specific  objection  to  them;  but  because,  the  Scriptures  appear 
obscure,  or  unintelligible.  "How  can  they  understand,  unless  some 
man  should  guide  themr"  They  read  of  Canaan  and  Mesopotamia, 
of  Cush  and  Misraim,  of  Anakims  and  Ishmaelites;  they  search 
their  Geographies,  but  find  nothing  to  satisfy  their  inquiries.  Is  if. 
strange  then,  that  the  sacred  history  should  become  dull,  and  te- 
dious? 

Not  only  the  pleasure,  but  the  confidence  of  the  reader  may  be 
increased,  by  learning  the  character  and  situation  of  places.  To  il- 
lustrate this,  a  multitude  of  instances  might  be  mentioned.  Had 
Egypt  been  a  barren  country,  seven  years  of  plenty  would  not  have 
supplied  seven  years  of  famine.  Had  Arabia  been  a  fertile  land,  no 
good  reason  could  have  been  given  for  the  rain  of  "angel's  food."  As 
the  Red  Sea  and  the  Jordan  lay  in  the  march  of  Israel,  we  readily 
perceive,  that  their  waters  must  have  been  divided. 

In  describing  the  ancient  and  modern  state  of  many  cities  and  na- 
tions, the  writer,  without  stopping  to  moralize,  spontaneously  deline- 
ates the  most   exact  fulfilment  of  prophecy.     So  unavoidable  is  this 


PREFACE. 

that  even  infidels  have  sometimes,  unwillingly,  promoted  the  cause 
of  revelation.  Volney's  account  of  Jerusalem  and  Egypt  confirms 
this.  The  opportunity  of  defending  the  banner  of  Christianity,  has 
been  a  most  pleasant  circumstance  attending  this  compilation. 

Geography  has  claimed  a  place  in  various  dictionaries  of  the  Bi- 
ble. Why  then  should  it  not  occupy  a  separate  volume?  Who  is 
satisfied  with  the  scanty  information,  found  in  those  works?  To  the 
lovers  of  sacred  Geography  may  not  a  scripture  Gazetteer  be  a  men- 
tal banquet?  A  respectable  and  learned  writer  considers  the  present 
zeal  to  acquire  a  knowledge  of  Palestine,  among  "the  signs"  of  the 
approaching  millennium*  He  says,  "The  signs  of  the  times  all  con- 
cur to  teach  us,  that  we  are  fast  approaching  towards  the  catastrophe 
of  the  great  drama.  We  have  seen  Palestine,  the  predicted  stage 
on  which  Antichrist,  with  his  congregated  vassals,  is  doomed  to 
perish,  brought  forward  in  a  remarkable  manner  to  public  notice."* 
And  is  it  not  natural  to  suppose  that  a  country  becoming  so  interest- 
ing to  all  the  world, will  be  more  known,  before  the  grand  catastrophe 
arrives.  Soon  will  Christianity,  long  banished  from  the  first  tem- 
ples of  her  residence,  long  banished  from  the  thrones  of  the  Csesars, 
in  sackcloth  wandering  in  the  wilderness,  re-enter  Palestine  in  tri- 
umph, raise  the  ruined  walls  of  Jerusalem,  rebuild  the  temple  oa 
Mount  Zion,  and  sway  the  sceptre  on  the  throne  of  David;  yet 
scarcely  any  region  of  the  globe  is  now  so  little  known.  Some 
Geographers  of  great  eminence,  silently  pass  by  this  country,  as 
though  it  were  involved  in  the  odium  of  Christianity. 

Though  the  compiler  fondly  hopes  to  afford  pleasure  and  improve- 
ment to  the  lover  of  Sacred  Geography;  yet,  so  far  is  he  from  pre- 
suming, that  this  first  essay  is  perfect,  that  he  respectfully  solicits  any 
suggestions  from  his  readers,  which  may  improve  the  work.  He 
detei mines,  that  no  pains  shall  be  wanting,  if  his  life  be  spared,  to 
render  it  as  perfect  as  his  abilities  permit.  This  being  designed  for 
a  useful  family  book,  a  huge  and  fair  type  has  been  used,  and  some 
things  of  curious  geographical  speculation  have  been  omitted,  or 
transiently  noticed.  Generally,  the  various  opinions  oi  learned  men 
have  been  stated,  and  the  reader  left  to  make  his  own  decision. 
Consequently,  in  some  instances,  it  may  seem  as  if  the  compiler  en- 
tertained different  opinions  on  the  same  point. 

Some  may  think  the  account  of  a  few  remarkable  places  too  par- 
ticular.    Another  person,  may,  perhaps,  ponder  on  these  scenes  with 

Dr.  Buchj.Tian.     See  Christian   Researches,  published  by  S.  T.  Armstrong. 


PREFACE. 

deep  interest,  and  growing  delight,  his  heart  throbbing  with  wonder 
and  gratitude,  his  eyes  suffused  with  sacred  affection.  While  he 
discards  the  weakness  of  superstition, he  indulges  the  sensibilities  of  a 
man;  while  he  reasons  like  a  sage,  he  feels  as  a  saint,  and  wishes  the 
description  more  minute,  more  full.  I  shall  never  envy  the  man  his 
sensations,  who  can  read  with  indifference  a  description  of  the  pla- 
ces, where  prophets  and  apostles  preached  the  word  of  life, where  the 
Son  of  God  ruled  the  storm,  and  raised  the  dead.  I  shall  never  envy 
the  man,  who  can  without  emotions,  undescribable,  ascend  mount 
Sinai,  where  God  himself  came  down,  where  the  voice  of  the  trum- 
pet waxed  louder  and  louder,  where  Moses  spake,  and  God  answer- 
ed him  by  a  voice.  I  pitv  the  man,  who  can  read  the  present  state 
of  Chorazin,  or  Tyre,  or  the  seven  churches  of  Asia,  and  not  bow 
to  the  force  of  truth,  his  faith  confirmed,  his  heart  trembling.  I  pity 
the  man,  who  can  view,  unmoved  the  Rocks  smitten  by  Moses, 
whence  the  waters  gushed,  and  the  stream  flowed  to  refresh  the  camp 
of  Israel.  I  pity  him,  whose  heart  does  not  thrill  with  unutterable 
tenderness,  while  he  reads  a  description  of  Gethsemane,  echoing  the 
sighs  and  prayers  of  his  suffering  Redeemer,  or  the  hill  of  Calvary, 
crimsoned  with  his  blood,  or  of  the  holy  sepulchre,  where  his  body 
was  laid,  or  the  Mount  of  Olives,  graced  with  his  last  footsteps,  as 
he  ascended  to  glory. 

In  this  work  the  compiler  has  often  borrowed  the  stvle  of  the  au- 
thors, quoted;  not  always,  because  he  thought  it  the  most  laconic  or 
perfect;  but  among  other  reasons,  because,  as  it  respects  travels,  there 
is  a  certain  interest  produced  by  the  words  of  one,  who  himself  saw 
what  he  describes:  he  gives  vividness  and  life  to  his  subject.  For 
borrowing  from  others,  I  may,  to  use  the  words  of  the  Encyclopedia, 
"plead  the  common  law  of  authorship  in  justification."  This  is  a 
Geographical  Dictionary,  and  the  learned  Mr.  Chambers  remark?, 
"that  such  works  are  supposed  to  be  in  a  great  degree,  the  composi- 
tions of  other  people,  and  that  their  quality  gives  the  authors  a  title 
to  every  thing,  which  may  be  for  their  purpose,  wherever  they  find  it. 
If  you  ask  them  their  authority  they  will  produce  you  the  prac- 
tice of  their  predecessors  of  all  nations  and  ages.  But  as  the  com- 
piler in  this  work  has  quoted  authors  of  established  reputation,  he 
presumes  to  hope,  that  the  style  and  matter  may  be  satisfactory. 

A  laudable  curiosity  prompts  the  reader  to  inquire  what  were  the 
sources  of  information  enjoyed  by  his  author.  To  this  I  only  say, 
that  a  considerable  portion  of  the  work,  was  necessarily  taken  from 
the  Bible.  Several  of  the  most  interesting  articles  have  been  col- 
lected from  the  Asiatic  Researches.     The  Encyclopedia  has  repeated 


PREFACE. 

Iy  made  very  liberal  contributions.  A  Dictionary  of  the  Bible  in  3 
vols,  anonymous,  printed  in  London  1759,  has  afforded  more  con- 
stant aid,  thdn  perhaps  any  other  work.  From  the  Scripture  Geog- 
raphy of  Dr.  Wells,  I  have  largely  borrowed.  I  need  not  add,  that 
Calmet  has  contributed  something  to  almost  every  page.  A  Geo- 
graphical Dictionary  of  the  Bible,  entitled,  Onomasticon  Urbium  et 
Locorum  Sacra;  Scriptures ,  &c.  written  by  Eusebius  in  the  fourth  cen- 
tury, and  afterwards  translated  from  the  Greek  into  Latin,  and  im- 
proved by  St.  Jerome,  I  have  quoted  in  almost  every  article. 

The  following  works  have  also  been  carefully  consulted,  and  often 
quoted.     Opera  Jacobi  Bonfrerii,hc.  Descriptio  Terra;  Sanctce  Rro- 
cardi  Monachi,  Sec.     Geographia  Sacra  ex  Veteri  et  Novo  Testamento, 
&c.     Descriptio  Terra;  Chanaan,  &c.  et  Index  Geographicus,  auctore 
Nic-Sanson,  et'tam  Notce  Jo/iannis    Clerici,    &c.     To   name   all    the 
Travels,  Gazetteers,  Geographies,  Commentators,  and   other   books, 
from  which  extracts  have  been  made,  would  be   thought  superfluous. 
Were  it  not  ostentatious,  it  would  be  pleasant  and  flattering   to    my- 
self, to  acknowledge  the  encouragement  and  aid  of  several   respecta- 
ble  Friends,   who   have   kindlv  furnished  me  with  rare  and  valuable 
books.     These    generous    Patrons  will    do  me  the  justice  to  believe, 
that  I    prize    their   friendship,  as  I  ought,  and   accept    my    warmest 
gratitude.     Though  it  is  not  without  very   serious   drjjidence,   that  I 
present  this  work  to  the  public;  yet  may  I  not   be    permitted  to    say, 
that  if  the  reader  find  the  advantage    and  the    entertainment,   which 
have  rendered  the  labor  of  compiling  it  so  pleasant,  I  shall,  not  only 
think  myself  to  have  been  well  employed,  but  doubly  rewarded. 

E.  PARISH, 

By  field,  March  9,  1813. 


SACKED  GEOGRAPHY; 


OR, 


GAZETTEER  OF  THE  BIBLE. 


A  ASAR,  a  town  of  Palestine, 
in  the  tribe  of  Judah,  between 
Azotus  and  Askalon,  which 
in  the  time  of  Jerome  was  a, 
hamlet. 

ABANA,  a  river  of  Damas- 
cus, mentioned  by  Naaman, 
the  king  of  Syria's  general,  in 
these  terms,  *are  not  Abana 
andPharphar  rivers  of  Damas- 
cus, better  than  all  the  rivers 
of  Israel,'  2  Kings  v,  12. 
Calmet  is  of  opinion,  that  this 
river  is  the  same  with  Barrady 
or  Chry  sorrhoas,  which,  accord- 
ing to  Maundrill,  derives  its 
source  from  the  foot  of  mount 
Libanus  towards  the  east,  and 
runs  round  Damascus  and 
through  it,  and  so  continues 
its  course,  till  its  waters  are 
lost  in  the  wilderness,  at  the 
distance  of  four  or  five  leagues 
from  the  city.  The  compil- 
ers of  the  Encyclopedia  sup- 
pose its  source  is  in  mount 
Hermon,  and  that  it  falls  into 
the  Phenician  sea  to  the  north 
of  Tripolis.  The  Greeks  cal- 
led it  Chrvsorrhoas.  Lat.  31, 
20. 

2 


AB  \Rl\f,  a  chain  of  moun- 
tains between  the  Jordan  and 
Anion,  (Numb,  xxvii,  12,) 
reaching  a  great  way  into  the 
tribe  of  Reuben,  and  the  coun- 
try of  the  Moabites;  composed 
of  many  hills,  under  different 
names.  The  mountains,  Ne- 
bo,  Pisgah,  and  Peor,  were 
parts  of  the  Abarim.  See 
the  article  Nebo,  &.c.  They 
were  high  mountains  and  of 
steep  ascent,  separating  the 
land  of  Canaan  from  the  Am- 
monites and  Moabites.  From 
their  summits  was  a  grand 
view  of  Canaan.  According 
to  Josephus  they  stood  opposite 
to  Jericho,  and  were  the  last 
station  of  Israel,  excepting  one, 
as  they  were  entering  Canaan. 
Lat.  31,  SO.  Kimpton. 

ABEL-BETHMAACHAH, 
a  city  of  Palestine,  placed  by- 
Jerome  in  the  tribe  of  Judah, 
between  Eleutheropolis  and 
Jerusalem;  but  more  probably 
it  was  a  city  in  the  tribe  of 
Naphtali,  in  the  north  of  Pales- 
tine; for  here  we  find  a  place 
of  this  name,  taken  by  Benha- 


ABE 


ABE 


dad,  king  of  Syria.  1  Kings 
xv,  20;  and  afterwards  by  the 
king  of  Assyria,  2  Kings  xv,29. 
ABEL  KERAMIM,  a 
town,  which  lay  east  of  the  Jor- 
dan, in  the  country  of  the  Am- 
monites, where  Jephthah  de- 
feated that  people;  it  abounds  in 
vines;  it  was  also  called  Abela. 
Abila  signifies  a  mountain,  in 
the  Phenician  language.  Prob- 
ably therefore,  this  town  was 
built  on  a  mountain. 

ABEL  THE  GREAT,  the 
name  of  a  large  stone  lying  in 
the  field  of  one  Joshua,  a  Beth- 
shemite,  on  which  the  ark  was 
placed,  when  it  was  sent  back 
by  the  Philistines.  It  is  thought 
to  have  been  called  by  this 
name,  which  signifies  great 
mourning*  on  account  of  the 
vast  number  of  Bethshemites, 
that  were  punished  by  God  on 
this  occasion,  for  we  are  told 
(1  Sam.  vi,  18,19;)  that  no 
less  than  fifty  thousand,  three- 
score, and  ten  Bethshemites 
were  smitten  for  looking  into 
the  ark  of  the  Lord.  Lat. 
32  36. 

'A  B  EL  A,  See  Abel- 
keranaim,  a  city  in  the 
land  of  Bashan,  in  the  half 
tribe  of  Manasseh,  12  miles 
fiom  Gadara,  east.  Jerome 
says,  it  was  remarkable  for 
good  wine.     Lat.  33,  5. 


ABEL-MEHOLAH,  OR 
ABELMEA,  being  the  coun- 
try of  Elijah,  (1  Kings  xix, 
16.)  It  was  also  the  birth- 
place of  Elisha  the  prophet. 
According  to  Eusebius,  it  was 
sixteen  miles  distant  from 
Scythopolis;  it  was  situated  on 
the  west  of  Jordan,  between 
the  valley  of  Jezreel  and  the 
village  of  Bethmaela  in  the 
plains  of  Jordan,  where  the 
Midianites  were  defeated  by 
Gideon.    Lat.  32,  121. 

ABEL-MIZRAIM,  a  place 
some  distance  west  from  Jeri- 
cho and  Jordan,  and  not  far  from 
Hebron.  It  was  before  the 
threshing  floor  of  Atad,  but  on 
account  of  the  mourning  here 
for  Jacob,  it  was  called  Abel- 
Mizraim,  signifying,  the  lamen- 
tation of  the  Egyptians, the  peo- 
ple of  the  place  supposing  that 
all  the  people,  who  composed 
this  funeral  procession  were 
Egyptians.  Some  suppose 
it  was  between  the  Jordan  and 
the  city  of  Jericho. 

ABEL-SHITTIM,  or 
SHITTIM,  a  city  situate  in 
the  plains  of  Moab  beyond 
Jordan,  opposite  to  Jericho. 
(Numb,  xxxiii,  49;  and  xxv,  1; 
and  Josh,  ii,  1.)  Eusebius 
says  it  stood  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  mount  Peor.  Moses 
encamped    at     Abel-Shittim, 


ABE 


ACC 


sometime  before  the  Hebrew 
army  passed  the  Jordan.  Here 
the  Israelites  fell  into  idolatry 
and  worshipped  Baal-Peor,  for 
which  God  punished  them,  so 
severely  by  the  hands  of  the 
Levites.  The  place  stood 
north-east  from  the  Dead  Sea, 
and  received  its  name  from  the 
great  number  of  Shittim  or 
Sittim  trees,  which  grew  there. 
As  Abel  denotes  mourning  in 
Hebrew,  some  have  thought, 
this  place  received  its  name 
on  account  of  the  mourning 
and  lamentations  of  the  people 
here,  on  account  of  the  destruc- 
tion made  among  them  for  the 
sin  above  mentioned.  See 
Numb,  xxv,  1 — 9.  Some  of 
them  being  hanged,  others 
slain,  others  dying  of  the 
plague,  to  the  number  of  twen- 
ty-four thousand.  Whether 
Abel-Shittim  and  Shittim  were 
two  places  is  somewhat  uncer- 
tain. Perhaps  Shittim  was 
the  city,  and  Abel-Shittim  the 
valley  or  plain,  where  was  an 
encampment  of  Israel. 

ABEN-BOHAN,  See  Bo- 
ian.     Lat.  31,  31. 

ABEZ,  a  city  belonging  to  the 
tribe  of  Issachar.  Josh.  i9,20. 

ABILA,  or  Abel,  hobal, 
or  Hoba,  or  Abelbeth-ma- 

ACHA,OR  ABEL-MAIN,atOWIl, 

north  of  Damascus,   between 
Libanus    and    Anti-Libanus. 


Joab  besieged  this  town,  dur- 
ing the  revolt  of  Sheba.  Lat. 
32,  22§. 

ABILENE,  a  small  canton 
in  Coelo  Syria,  between  Leba- 
non and  Anti-Libanus.  lr  lay 
west  from  Damascus.  The 
town  of  Abilene  stood  at  the 
bottom  of  the  valley  on  the 
bank,  of  Chrvsorrhoas,  the 
channel  of  which  Mr.  Maundrel 
says,  is  very  rocky.  Here  Ly- 
sanias  was  governor  in  the  15th 
year  of  Tiberias,  Luke  iii,  1. 
This  was  a  considerable  town, 
and  its  vineyards  were  exten- 
sive and  fruitful,  as  we  are  in- 
formed by  Jerome  and  Eusebi- 
us.  Being  the  capital,  it  gave 
name  to  the  district  around. 
Eusebius  says  it  lay  between 
Paneas  and  Damascus.  This 
is  only  one  of  many  instances 
in  which  we  -shall  find  the  same 
place  obscured  by  having 
more  than  one  name.  See  Abel- 
beth-maachah. 

ACCARONatown  ofJu- 
dea.  It  was  the  boundary  of 
Philistia  north,  not  far  from 
Bethshemcth  and  the  sea. 
This  town  was  famous  for  the 
idol  Baalzebub,  who  was  wor- 
shipped here  under  the  same 
attributes  with  Achor,  the  god 
of  flies;  from  this  circumstance, 
according  to  the  celebrated 
Bryant,  this  city  derived  its 
name.      It   is  34   miles  from 


ACA 


ACH 


Jerusalem.  It  first  fell  to  the 
lot  of  Judah,  and  was  after- 
wards given  to  the  tribe  of 
Dan.  L:it.  31,  55.  Long.  34, 
57,  E. 

ACCAD,  a  city  built  by 
Nimrod,  the  situation  of  which 
is  not  very  well  known,  The 
3'  ptuagint  read  it  Archad. 
Gen.  x,  10.  Jerome  says,  it 
was  a  city  of  Babylon,  that  in 
his  d  iv  it  was  called  Nisibis, 
that  it  w  s  besieged  and  taken 
by  the  Romans,  and  in  a  few 
)  cars  after  delivered  to  the  Per- 
sians.    Lat  32,  5. 

ACCHO,  afterwards  called 
Ptolemais,  lies  north  of  mount 
Carmel  with  a  harbor  to  the 
sea.  It  fell  to  the  tribe  of 
Ashefby  division,  Judges  i,  31.% 
The  Israelites  would  noi  extir- 
pate the  inhabitants  of  Accho, 
and  it  continued  in  the  hand 
of  the  Canaanites.  See  Acre. 
It  has  for  300  years  been  sub- 
ject to  the  Turks,  and  is  re- 
markable for  castles,  palaces, 
and  churches  in  ruins.  It  is 
thinly  inhabited,  but  has  an 
old  church  and  a  bishop.  Lat. 
32,  58. 

ACELDAMA,  that  Is,  the 
inheritance  or  potidh  of  blood; 
by  this  name  was  that  field  cal- 
led, which  the  priests  purchas- 
ed with  the  thirty  pieces  of 
silver,  that  had  been  given  to 
Judas    Iscanot,  as    the  price 


for  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ, 
(Matt,  xxvii,  8;  and  Acts  i, 
18.)  Judas  having  brought 
this  money  back  into  the  tem- 
ple, and  the  priests  thinking  it 
was  not  lawful  to  make  use  of 
it  for  the  service  of  so  holy  a 
place,  because  it  was  the  price 
of  blood,  they  bought  a  potters 
field  to  be"  a  burying  place  for 
strangers.  This  field  is  shown 
at  this  day  to  travellers.  It 
lies  south  of  Jerusalem;  the 
place  is  small,  and  covered 
with  an  arched  roof.  'It  is 
said  to  have  been  the  same  with 
the  Fullers  field,  lying  on  the 
South  side  of  Jerusalem,  where 
thty  whitened  their  cloth,* 
Isaiah  vii,  3.  It  was  the  pot- 
ters field,  where  they  dug  their 
materials,  of  course,  it  must 
have  been  entirely  barren;  and 
was,  therefore,  bought  as  a  bu- 
rying place  for  straiigers. 

ACHAIA,  a  province  of 
Greece  of  which  Corinth  was 
the  capital,  where  St.  Paul 
preached, ^Actsxviii,  12;)  and 
St.  Andrew  suffered  martyr- 
dom. This  province  of  the 
Peloponnessus  was  bounded 
west  by  the  Ionian  sea,  south 
by  Elis  and  Arcadia,  and  east 
by  Sicyonia.  It  is  now  called 
Romania,  Aha  in  the  Morea. 
The  Romans  divided  all 
Greece  into  two  provinces  Mac- 
edonia, an  d  Achaia.      Under 


ACII 


ACR 


the  former  they  include  Epirus 
and  Thessaly;  under  the  latter, 
Greece,  properly  so  called,  and 
the  Peloponnessus.  The  word 
Greece  in  the  Old  Testament 
was  used  in  its  most  extensive 
sense,  and  included  Macedo- 
nia. In  the  New  Testament 
it  does  not  include  Macedonia, 
and  is  equivalent  to  Achaia  in 
the  Roman  sense  of  the  word, 
that  is,  including  not  only 
Greece  proper,  but  the  Pelo- 
ponnesus in  which  lay  Achaia 
proper.     Lat.  36,  30. 

ACHMETH/N,  (Ezra  vi, 
2.)  See  the  article  ILcbatana. 
But  some  suppose  it  does  not 
denote  a  place,  or  town;  but  a 
box  or  press,  in  which  the  old 
rolls  of  the  Medo-Persian  court 
were  deposited. 

ACHOR,  a  valley  in  the 
territory  of  Jericho,  and  in  the 
tribe  of  Benjamin,  or  on  the 
north  border  of  Judah,  where 
Achan,-his  sons,  and  daughters, 
were  stoned  to  death.  The 
valley  lay  along  the  Jordan,  not 
far  from  Gil^al;  it  was  so  cal- 
led from  Achan,  or  as  others, 
more  probably  suppose,  from 
the  trouble  suffered  there  on 
his  account,  Achor  in  Hebrew 
signifying  trouble.  Lat.  31, 
44. 

ACHSAPH,  a  city  belong, 
ing  to  the  tribe  of  Asher,  the 
king  of  which  was  conquered 
by  Joshua   (xii,   20.)      It  is 


thought  probable,  that  Ach- 
saph  and  Achzib  are  but  dif- 
ferent names  for  the  same 
town,  of  Ecdippa  upon  the 
coasts  of  Phoenicia  and  not 
far  from  mount  Tabor.  See 
Achzib  .In  the  time  of  Jerome, 
about  four  hundred  years  after 
Christ,  this  was  a  small  village 
called  Chasalus. 

ACHZIB,  a  city  belonging 
to  the  tribe  of  Asher,  (Josh, 
xix,  29;)  thought  to  be  the 
same,  which  the  Greeks  called 
Ecdippa,  and  at  present  is  cal- 
led Zib.  It  was  situated  near 
the  Mediterranean  sea,  be- 
tween Tyre  and  Ptolemais. 
See  Achsaph.  In  the  fribe  of 
Judah  was  another  town  of  the 
same  name. 

ACRA,  one  of  the  hills  in 
Jerusalem,  on  which  stood  the 
tower  or  old  city,  which  was 
the  old  Jerusalem,  to  which 
was  afterwards  added  Zion,  or 
the  city  of  David.  Probably 
it  was  called  Acra,  from  the 
fortress,  which  Antiochus 
built  there,  in  order  to  annoy 
the  temple,  and  which  Simon 
Maccabeus  took  and  razed  to 
the  ground.  He  spent  three 
years  in  levelling  the  mountain. 
Here  was  afterwards  built  the 
palace  of  Helena,  also  another 
for  Agrippa. 

ACRABATENE,  a  district 
ofJudea,  extending  itself  be- 
tween Shechem  and  Jericho,  in- 


ACR 


ACR 


dining  to  the  east,  about  twelve 
miles  in  length.  Josephus 
frequently  mentions  this  place. 

Acrabatene,  another  dis- 
trict of  Judea  on  the  fron- 
tier of  Iduniea,  towards  the 
southern  extremity  of  the  Dead 
Sea.     See  Macab.'  v,  3. 

ACRE,  or  Acco,  or  St. 
John  de  Acre,  a  sea  port 
town,  on  the  Phoenician  coast 
in  Syria.  Its  ancient  name  was 
Acco,  or  Accho,  and  is  called 
by  the  Arabs  Akka.  It  was 
afterwards  denominated  Ptole- 
mais,  from  one  of  the  Ptole- 
mys  in  Egypt,  and  Acra,  on 
account  of  its  fortifications,  and 
importance;  whence  the  knights 
of  St.  John,  of  Jerusalem  called 
it  St.  John  de  Acre.  The  situ- 
ation of  Acre  has  every  possi- 
ble advantage  both  of  sea  and 
land;  it  is  encompassed  on  the 
north  and  east,  by  a  spacious 
and  fertile  plain,  on  the  west 
by  the  Mediterranean,  and  on 
the  south  by  a  large  bay;  ex- 
tending from  the  city  to 
mount  Carmel,  a  strong  town, 
and  convenient  harbors.  It 
was  strong  enough  to  resistthe 
arms  of  Israel,  when  they  sub- 
dued the  surrounding  country. 
Asher  did  not  drive  out  the 
inhabitants  of  Accho.  Here 
the  apostle  Paul  preached  the 
gospel;  here  Titus  tarried 
some  timefto  make  preparation 


for  the  siege  of  Jerusalem;  here 
met  a  general  council  in  the 
twelfth  century.  This  city 
successively  under  the  domin- 
ions of  the  Romans  and  of  the 
Moors,  and  afterwards  for  a 
long  time,  was  the  theatre  of 
contention,  between  the  Chris- 
tians, and  the  infidels  in  the 
progress  of  the  crusades.  In 
1189  the  armaments  of  Europe 
burst  on  this  devoted  place; 
for  two  years  they  pressed  the 
seige;  nine  battles  displayed 
the  courage  of  the  warriors; 
the  besiegingcamp  was  thinned 
by  sickness,  by  famine,  and  the 
sword.  Despair  began  to  pre- 
vail; in  the  spring  of  the  sec- 
ond year  the  royal  fleets  of 
England  and  France  arrived 
in  the  bay  of  Acre;  Acre  sub- 
mitted, but  not  till  three-thous- 
and Moslems  were  beheaded; 
one  hundred  thousand  Chris- 
tians had  fallen  in  battle,  and 
a  greater  number  perished  by 
disease.  After  the  loss  of  Je- 
rusalem, in  unsuccessful  at- 
tempts for  recovering  the  Holy 
Land,  from  the  possession  of 
the  Saracens,  renewed  by  St. 
Louis,  with  the  co-operation 
of  Edward  I,  and  other  pow- 
ers, Acre  became  the  metrop- 
olis of  the  Latin  Christians, 
and  was  adorned  with  strong 
and  stately  buildings,  with 
aqueducts,   an  artificial    port, 


ACR 


ACtt 


and  a  double  wall.  Its  pop- 
ulation was  increased,  by  an 
influx  of  pilgrims  and  fugitives, 
and  the  trade  of  the  east  and 
west  was  attracted  to  this  con- 
venient station.  The  city  was 
besieged  by  Turks  under  Sul- 
tan Khali),  at  the  head  of  a 
large  army,  furnished  with  a 
tremendous  train  of  artillery. 
After  a  seige  of  thirty-three 
days,  the  double  wall  was 
forced  by  the  Moslems,  the 
principal  tower  yielded  to  their 
engines,  and  the  city  was  en- 
tirely destroyed,  May,  19, 
1291.  Sixty  thousand  Chris- 
tians were  devoted  to  death  or 
slavery;  a  miserable  remnant 
with  the  king  of  Jerusalem, 
the  patriarch,  and  the  great 
master  of  the  hospital,  fled  to 
the  sea  shore,  and  escaped  to 
Cyprus.  It  was  famous  in  the 
time  of  the  Crusades.  Here 
Edward  I,  was  wounded  by  a 
poisoned  arrow;  he  was  cured 
by  his  wife  Eleanor,  who  suck- 
ed the  poison  from  his  veins. 
After  the  expulsion  of  the  cru- 
saders, Acre  exhibited  a  scene 
of  magnificent  ruins,  and  re- 
mained in  a  degree  deserted, 
and  desolated,  till  about  the 
year  1750,  when  it  was  fortifi- 
ed, by  Dahier,  an  Arabian 
Sheick,  who  obtained  the  ap- 
pellation of  Prince  of  St.  John 
of  Acre,  and   maintained   his 


independence  against  the  whole 
force  of  the  Ottoman  empire, 
till  the  year  1775,  when  he 
was  basely  assassinated,  by  or- 
der of  the  Ottoman  porte,  at 
the  advanced  age  of  eighty-six 
years.  The  new  city  is  smal- 
ler than  the  old;  its  inhabitants, 
lately,  were  forty  thousand. 
The  Greeks  have  here  two 
churches,  the  Latins  three,  the 
Maronites  one,  it  is  a  bishop's 
see.  The  Jews  have  one 
small  synagogue,  the  Mahom- 
etans three  mosques.  Acre 
has  been  rendered,  by  the 
works  of  Dijezzar,  one  of  the 
principal  towns  on  the  coast. 
The  mosques  of  this  Pacha 
are  much  admired.  The  Ba- 
zar, or  covered  market,  is  not 
inferior  to  the  bazars  of  Aleppo, 
and  its  public  fountain  is  supe- 
rior in  elegance  to  those  of 
Damascus.  The  widest  street 
is  completely  filled  by  a  pass- 
ing camel;  the  place  is  un- 
healthy; it  has  lately  been 
brought  into  notice  by  the 
siege  of  Bonaparte  and  his  re- 
pulse by  Sir  Sidney  Smith,  a 
celebrated  English  officer,  in 
1798.  The  principal  articles 
of  commerce  at  Acre  are  corn 
and  cotton:  but  the  trade  is  mo- 
nopolized by  the  Pacha  in  his 
own  hands.  The  French  have 
usually  a  consul  in  this  place, 
and  Russia  a   resident.     It  is 


ADA 


ADI 


twenty-seven  miles  south  of 
Tyre,  seventy  north  of  Jerusa- 
lem, eighty-two  west  of  Damas- 
cus, lat.  32,  40,  north,  long. 
39,  25,  east.  I  only  add  that 
the  port  of  Acre  is  one  of  the 
best  on  the  coast;  the  town  shel- 
ters it  from  the  north  and  north 
west  winds.  The  fortifications 
at  present  are  of  no  great  im- 
portance. ^  Mount  Carmel, 
which  commands  the  town  to 
the  south,  is  a  flattened  cone, 
very  rocky,  2,000  feet  high. 

Mariti,  D^Anville,  &c. 

ADADA,  a  city  in  the 
southern  part  of  Judea.  Josh, 
xv,  22. 

ADAD-RIMMON,  orHA- 
dad-rimmon,  a  city  in  the 
valley  of  Jezreel,  (2  Kings 
xxiii,  29.)  There  the  fatal 
battle  was  fought  in  .which  Jo- 
siah,king  of  Judah,  was  killed 
by  the  forces  of  Pharoah-Ne- 
cho,  king  of  Egypt.  It  is  sit- 
uated ten  miles  from  Jezreel, 
and  seventeen  from  Ccesareain 
Palestine. 

ADAM,  or  Ado m,  (Josh, 
iii,  16;)  a  city  situated  on  the 
banks  of  the  River  Jordan,  to- 
wards the  south  of  the  sea, 
Cinnereth  or  Galilee.  In  the 
vicinity  of  this  town,  the  wa- 
iters of  the  Jordan  were  arrest- 
ed, that  the  Israelites  might 
pass  over  the  channel  on  dry 
ground. 


ADAMAH,  or  Admah, 
one  of  the  five  wicked  cities, 
which  were  destroyed  by  fire 
from  heaven,  and  buried  un- 
der the  waters  of  the  Dead  Sea, 
(Gen.  xit,  2;  and  Deut.  xxii, 
23.)  It  was  the  most  easterly 
of  all  those,  which  was.swallow- 
ed  up,  and  there  is  some  prob- 
ability that  it  was  nor  entirely 
sunk  under  the  waters;  or  that 
the  inhabitants  of  the  country 
built  a  new  city  of  the  same 
name  upon  the  eastern  shore 
of  the  Dead  Sea;  for  Isaiah,  ac- 
cording to  the  Septuagint  says, 
'God  will  destroy  the  Moab- 
ites,  the  city  of  Ar,  and  the 
remnant  of  Adamah.' 

Ad  am  ah,  was  also  a  city 
of  the  tribe  of  Naphtali,  (Josh, 
xix,  36.)  The  Septuagint, 
call  it  Armath,  and  the  Vul- 
gate, Edema. 

ADASA,  was  a  city  of  Ca- 
naan, in  the  tiibe  of  Ephraim, 
Lat.  33. 

ADIDA,  a  city  of  Judah,  at 
which  place  Simeon  Macca- 
I  asus  encamped,  in  otder  to 
dispute  the  entrance  into  the 
country  with  Tryphon,  who 
had  treacherously  seized  on  his 
brother  Jonathan  at  Ptolemais. 
Both  Eusebius  and  Jerome  tell 
us,  that  all  the  open  plain 
about  Eleutheropolis  north  and 
west,  was  in  their  time  called 
Sephela.     And  in   I   Macab. 


ADR 


ADU 


xii,  38,  it  is  said,  that  Simeon 
"set  up  Adida  in  Sephela,  and 
made  it  strong  with  gates  and 
bars."     Lat.  31,44. 

ADITHA,  or  Ada th a,  a 
city  belonging  to  the  tribe  of 
Judah,  (Josh,  xv,  36.} 

ADORAIM,  a  town  of  Pal- 
estine  in  the  tribe  of  Judah, 
fortified  by  Rehoboam. 

ADRIA,  a  city  upon  the 
Tartario  in  the  state  of  Venice. 
It  gives  name  to  the  Adriatic 
sea,  which  is  sometimes  called 
Adria,    as    in  Acts  xxvii,  27. 

ADRIA,  the  Adriatic  sea. 
Here  the  ship  in  which  St. 
Paul  was  a  prisoner  was  over- 
taken with  a  dreadful  storm. 
Fearing  they  should  fall  upon 
the  quicksands,  they  struck  sail, 
and  let  their  ship  drive.  This 
tempest  continued  a  whole 
fortnight.  It  has  with  some 
propriety  been  asked  how  this 
ship,  tossed  up  and  down  the 
Adriatic,  should  drive  on  the 
island  of  Malta.  The  easy 
solution  is,  that  anciently  this 
name  extended  beyond  the 
limits  of  the  Adriatic  gulf,  and 
was  given  to  an  indeterminate 
portion  of  the  sea,  as  we  now 
say  the  Levant,  &c.  Ptolemy 
says  that  Sicily  was  bounded 
east  by  the  Adriatic,  that  Crete 
was  washed  on  the  west  by  the 
Adriatic,  and  Strabo  says  that 
the  Ionian  gulf  is  a  part  of  that, 
3 


which  in  his  time  was  called 
the  Adriatic  sea.  The  whole 
sea  adjacent  to  Sicily,  the  Ioni- 
an, and  Tuscan  seas,  on  the 
south-west  of  Italy,  were  cal- 
led Adria. 

ADRUMETUM,  or   Ad- 

'ramyttium,  a  cityofLybia 
in  Africa,  capital  qf  the  prov- 
ince of  Byzantium  We  read 
in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles, 
(xvii,  1,  2;)  that  Sr.  Paul  in 
his  first  voyage  to  Italy,  em- 
barked in  a  vessel  that  was 
going  to  Adrumetum.  But 
Calmet,  Wells,  and  Whitby, 
think  it  much  more  probable, 
that  we  should  read  Adram- 
my  ttiu  m  in  the  text,  because  we 
know  St.  Paul  was  going  into 
Asia,  as  St.  Luke  testifies;  and 
Adrammyttium  was  a  maritime 
town  of  Myssia  in  Asia  Minor, 
over  against  the  island  of  Les- 
bos, at  the  foot  of  mount  Ida. 

ADULL  AM,  a  city  belong- 
ing to  the  tribe  of  Judah,  (Josh, 
xv,  35;)  situated  in  the  south- 
ern part  of  this  tribe  and  west 
from  Hebron  toward  the  Dead 
sea.  Rehoboam  rebuilt  this 
place,  and  strengthened  it  with 
good  fortifications.  (Chron. 
xi,  7,  8;)  Eusebius  says  that  in 
his  time,  it  was  a  large  town, 
ten  miles  from  Eleutheropolis, 
eastward.  Jerom  says  that  in 
his  day  it  was  not  a  small  tow.. 


MGY 


iENA 


Judas  Macc.abzeus,  encamped 
in  the  plain  of  Adullam,  and 
there  passed  the  Sabbath-day, 
(2  Mace,  xii,  38.)  Joshua  kill- 
ed the  king  of  Adullam,  (xii, 
15.)  David  hid  himself  in  the 
caveofAdullam,  (lSam.xxii,l, 
2,&c.)  and  here  his  parenfs,and 
a  number  of  valiant  men  re- 
paired to  him.  This  place, 
once  called  the  glory  of  Israel, 
has  long  been  reduced  to  ruins. 
In  most  of  the  mountains  of 
Canaan  were  caverns,  where  in 
time  of  war  the  people  con- 
cealed themselves.  Kimpton. 

ADUIV1MIM,  a  town  and 
mountain  in  the  tribe  of  Benja- 
min. Josh.xv,9;xviii,17.  Some 
place  it  to  the  south,  others  to 
the  north  of  Jericho.  It  is  sup- 
posed, that  this  town  is  on  the 
road  from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho, 
and  that  here  the  traveller  was 
robbed,  mentioned  Luke  xth, 
who  was  so  kindly  relieved  by 
the  good  Samaritan.  The^lace 
was  notorious  for  the  haunt  of 
robbers,  so  much  so,  that  a 
castle  was  built  there  for  the 
defence  of  travellers.  Its  very 
name  is  supposed  to  express 
its  character;  it  signifies  the 
red,  or  bloody  ones. 

^EGYPT,  See  Egypt.      . 

JEGYPT,  river  of,  a 
stream  which  was  the  limit  of 
Judea  south.  God  promised 
to  Abraham   to  give   him  all 


the  country  between  the  Eu* 
phrates  and  the  river  of  Egypt. 
Some  have  thought  this  was 
the  Nile,  but  evidence  is  want- 
ing, that  the  territories  of  Israel 
ever  did  extend  to  the  Nile. 
It  seems  that  the  river  of  E- 
gypt  was  a  small  stream,  for 
the  Scriptures  call  the  Euphra- 
tes a  great  v'ixcy  compared  with 
this;  but  this  is  not  true,  if  the 
Nile  be  intended.  See  Egypt, 
river  of.     Lat.  31,  10. 

iELMOR,  a  sacerdotal  city 
in  the  tribe  of  Benjamin. 

/ENAM,  oriENAN  a  town 
of  Canaan,  in  the  time  of  the 
patriarchs,  but  a  deserted  place 
in  the  fourth  century.  It  stood 
on  the  road  to  Tinmath,  which 
was  a  considerable  village,  be- 
tween Jerusalem  and  Diospolis. 
Here  was  a  spring  from  which 
the  place  received  its  name,  and 
here  was  an  idol,  worshipped 
by  the  heathen  inhabitants  with 
great  veneration. 

There  is,  however, a  dispute, 
whether  the  word  be  not  an 
appellative,  signifying,  an  open 
place,  as  it  is  in  our  bibles,  or 
the  dividing  of  two  roads,  or 
two  eyes,  as  a  traveller  in  such 
a  place  looks  both  ways  to  as- 
certain, which  is  the  right,  or 
two  fountains  or  wells.  The 
Septuagint  consider  it  a  proper 
name,  and  translate  it  at  the 
gates  of  JEnan,   Gen.  xxxviii. 


yELl 


JEN 


14.  Bottfgenus.  See  En  aim. 
.ELIA.CAPITOLINA,  a 
name  given  to  Jerusalem,  and 
therefore  mentioned  litre, when 
the  emperor  Adrian,  about  the 
year  of  Jesus  Christ,  1S4,  set- 
tled a  Roman  colony  in  it,  and 
entirely  banishefl  the  Jews, for- 
bidding them  on  pain  of  death 
to  continue  there.  See  Jeru- 
salem. 

This  name  was  given  it  be- 
cause iElius,  was  of  Adrian's 
family;  and  it  was  called  Capi- 
tolina  from  Jupiter  Capitolinus, 
to  whom  the  city  was  conse- 
crated, and  to  whom  a  temple 
was  built  on  the  spot  where 
Jesus  rose  from  the  dead.  It 
went  by  this  name,  till  the  time 
of  the  emperor  Constantine, 
when  it  resumed  that  of  Jeru- 
salem. However,  the  name 
/Elia  was  not  long  abolished, 
for  it  was  so  called  long  after 
Constantine,  as  may  be  seen  in 
Greek,  Latin,  and  Mahometan 
authors.  Jerome  says  that  the 
Jews  were  now  forbid  to  cir- 
cumcise their  children;  he  says 
also  that  the  Jews  at  this  time 
bought  permission  of  the  Ro- 
man soldiers  to  look  on  Jerusa- 
lem, and  shed  tears  over  it. 
Thus  the  people,  who  bought 
Jesus  Christ  with  money,  were 
obliged  to  pay  a  price,  even  for 
the  indulgence  of  their  own 
,  tears.     Old  men  and  women 


loaded  with  rags  and  years 
were  seen  going  up  mount 
Olivet,  to  lament  the  ruin  of 
the  temple.  This  sight  they 
purchased  very  dearly.  A 
marble  Venus  was  set  up  on 
Calvary,  on  the  reck  where  the 
cross  had  stood;  a  marble  hog 
was  placed  on  the  gate,  which 
looked  toward  Bethlehem,  a 
grove  was  planted  in  honor  of 
Adonis,  to  whom  was  dedicat- 
ed the  cave  in  which  our  Sav- 
ior was  born.  Notwithstand- 
ing the  gross  indignities  offer- 
ed to  these  places,  consecrated 
by  the  birth,  death,  and  resur- 
rection of  Jesus  Christ,  still 
they  were  venerated  by  Chris- 
tians, and  greatly  respected  by 
many  of  the  pagan  world. 
These  insulting  pollutions  of 
sacred  places,  were  followed 
with  one  advantage,  they  con- 
tributed to  identify  and  per- 
petuate the  knowledge  of  the 
very  places,  where  those  inter- 
esting events  took  place,  and 
to  keep  them  in  remembrance 
for  a  day  of  subsequent  honors. 

JEN  or  Ain  a  city,  first 
given  to  the  tribe  of  Judah; 
but  afterwards  yielded  up  to 
the  tribe  of  Simeon,  Josh,  xv, 
32;  1  Chr.  iv,  32.  JEn  signi- 
fies a  fountain,  and  is  to  be  met 
with  in  composition  in  the 
names  of  several  cities. 

AIN-CHARIN,  a  village  of 


AFR 


AHA 


Palestine,  6  miles  from  Jeru- 
salem. 

AFRICA,  one  of  the  four 
quarters  of  the  world,  being  a 
peninsula  joined  to  Asia  by 
the  narrow  isthmus  of  Suez, 
and  situated  between  37  north, 
and  35  degrees  south  latitude, 
and  between  18  west  and  51 
east  longitude  from  London. 
It  is  4320  miles  in  length,  from 
north  to  south,  and  4200  miles 
in  breadth  from  east  to  west. 
Africa  is  bounded  by  the  Med- 
iterranean sea,  which  separates 
it  from  Europe  on  the  north, 
by  the  isthmus  of  Suez,  the 
Red  Sea,  and  theEastern  ocean; 
which  divide  it  from  Asia  on 
the  east,  by  the  Southern  ocean 
on  the  south,  and  by  the  At- 
lantic or  western  ocean,  which 
separates  it  from  America  on 
the  west.  Africa  was  princi- 
pally peopled  by  Ham  and  his 
descendants.  Mizraim  peopled 
Egypt.  The  Pathrusim,  the 
Naphtuhim,  the  Casluhim,  and 
the  Ludim, peopled  other  parts 
of  the  country,  the  limits  of 
which  are  not  at  this  day  dis- 
tinctly known.  It  is  thought 
that  many  of  the  Canaanites, 
being  driven  out  of  their  coun- 
try by  Joshua,  retired  into  Af- 
rica. Sanson  in  his  Index  Ge- 
ographicus,  says  that  Gush  and 
Canaan  were  not  content  with 
their  lot,  that  they  sought  other 


settlements,  and  seized  certaia 
territories  belonging  to  Shem. 

AGABA,  a  fortress  near 
Jerusalem. 

AGALLA,  a  city  of  Pales- 
tine on  the  east  of  the  Dead 
Sea  in  the  land  of  Moab.  See 
Eglaim. 

AGRIPPIAS,  a  town  of 
Palestine  on  the  Mediterra- 
nean, about  two  miles  and  a 
half  from  Gaza.  Herod  the 
Great  gave  the  town  this  name 
in  honor  of  Agrippa  his  friend, 
and  the  favorite  of  Augustus. 

AHA VA,  a  river  of  Baby- 
lonia, or  rather  of  Assyria, 
where  Ezra  (viii,  15)  gathered 
those  captives  into  a  body, 
whom  he  brought  with  him 
into  Judea.  In  this  region  the 
Diava,  or  Adiavana,  is  now 
known,  on  the  banks  of  which 
Ptolemy  places  the  city  of  A- 
bane  or  Aavane.  It  wras  com- 
mon for  travellers  going  from 
Babylon  to  Jerusalem,  to  pro- 
ceed northerly  at  first  to  avoid 
the  scorching  heat  of  the  Ara- 
bian desert,  then  turning  west, 
they  passed  through  Syria  into 
Palestine.  This  is  probably 
the  country  called  Ava,  2  Kings 
xvii,and  xviii,  and  xix,  whence 
the  kings  of  Assyria  translated 
the  people  called  Avites  into 
Palestine,  and  where  in  their 
room,  they  settled  some  of  the 
captive   Israelites.      Ezra  de- 


ALN 


ALE 


signing  to  collect,  as  many  Is- 
raelites as  possible,  made  a  halt 
here,  and  sent  agents  into  the 
Caspian  mountains,  to  invite 
the  Jews  scattered  there,  to  join 
him.  Ezra  viii.  Izates,  king 
of  the  Adiabenians,  and  his 
mother  Helena,  became  con- 
verts to  Judaism  after  the  death 
of  Christ;  an  argument  that 
Jews  still  remained  in  that 
country. 

AI,  or  HAI,  a  town  of  Ca- 
naan, three  leagues  from  Jeri- 
cho, and  one  league  from  Be- 
thel. This  place  is  mentioned 
in  the  history  of  Abram,  who 
both  before,  and  after  his  go- 
ing into  Egypt,  pitched  his 
tent  between  Bethel  and  Ai, 
or  Hai.  Jerome  and  Eusebius 
tell  us,  that  some  remains  of 
this  place  existed  in  their  day. 
Joshua  attacked  Ai  a  second 
time,  took  it  by  stratagem, 
hung  the  king,  and  burned  the 
town. 

A  I,  a  city  of  Moab,  taken 
and  plundered  by  the  Chalde- 
ans. Jer.  xlix,  3. 

A  IN,  a  city  given  to  the 
tribe  of  Simeon. 

AIN-CHARLM,  a  village 
of  Palestine,  6  miles  from  Je- 
rusalem. 

AJALON,  a  city  of  the 
tribe  of  Dan,  assigned  over  to 
the  Levites  of  Koah's  family. 
It  was  situated  between  Tim- 
nah    and    Bethshemcsh,    and 


probably  is  that  spoken  of  by 
Joshua,  when  he  said  to  the 
moon,  (chap,  x,  12,)  'Thou 
moon  stand  still  in  the  valley 
of  Ajalon.'  But  the  Danites 
could  never  drive  out  the  Am- 
orites  from  Ajalon.  There 
were  three  other  cities  of  this 
name;  one  was  in  the  tribe  of 
Benjamin,  three  miles  east- 
ward from  Bethel;  (2  Chr.  xi, 
10;)  another  in  the  tribe  of 
Ephraim,  two  miles  from 
Shechem,  as  you  go  to  Jeru- 
salem and  to  the  east  of  Betho- 
ron;  this  was  a  city  of  refuge; 
another  was  in  the  tribe  of 
Zebulon,  the  situation  of  which 
is  not  exactly  known.  Lat. 
31,  37. 

AKRABBIM,  or  Acraba- 
thine,  a  village  situate  in  the 
south  east  corner  of  the  tribe 
of  Judah,  about  nine  miles 
from  Neapolis. 

^  ALAMELECH,  a  city  of 
Canaan  in  the  tribe  of  Asher. 

ALEMA,  a  great  and  strong 
city  in  the  country  of  Gilead, 
beyond  Jordan.  (1  Mace,  v, 
25.     Lat.  32,  7. 

ALEXANDRIA,  a  cele- 
brated city  in  Egypt,  (Acts 
xviii,  24  and  xxvii,  6.)  built  by 
Alexander  the  great,  situated 
between  the  Mediterranean  and 
the  lake  Mceris.  Alexan- 
dria is  often  to  be  met  with  in 
the  latin  texts  of  those  books 
in   the  Old  Testament,  which 


ALE 


ALE 


were  written  before  the  reign 
of  Alexander,  as  in  Nahum,  iii, 
8,  Jer.  xlvi,  25,  and  Ezek.xxx, 
14,  15,  16.     But  this  name  is 
no  where   in  the  original  He- 
brew;   instead    of  which,    we 
there  read  No,  which  is  thought 
to  be  a  city  of  Diospolis  in  the 
Delta,    between    Busiris   and 
Mendesa.     The    Arabians  in- 
form us,  that  Alexandria  was 
called  Caissoun,  before  Alexan- 
der the  great,  rebuilt  or  enlarg- 
ed it.      Dinocrates,  who   pre- 
pared the  plan  of  it,  was  the 
same  architect,  who  rebuilt  the 
temple  of  Diana  at  Ephesus, 
which  had  been  burnt  by  Eu- 
rostratus.      Aridoeus,  Alexan- 
der's brother,  was  charged  with 
the  care  of  carrying  the  body 
of  this  prince  from  Babylon  to 
Alexandria*    He  employed  two 
years  in    making  preparations 
for  its  removal,  the  pomp  of 
which  is  described  by  Diodo- 
rus  Siculus.     There  had  been 
a  prophecy  current,  intimating 
that  the  place  where  Alexander 
should  be  buried,  should  flour- 
ish and  be   very   prosperous. 
The  governors,  therefore,  of  the 
several   cities   and    provinces, 
disputed  with  one  another,  who 
should  have  the  honor  and  ad- 
vantage of  possessing  his  body. 
There  was  a  proposal  for  car- 
rying it  to  Aigua  in  Macedo- 
nia, where  generally  the  kings 


of  this  country  had  been  buried, 
but  Egypt  carried  it.  His  body 
therefore  was  deposited  first  of 
all  at  Memphis;  but  was  after- 
wards removed  to  Alexandria. 
It  is  said  to  have  been  laid  in 
a  coffin  of  gold,  and  to  have 
been  embalmed  in  honey.  The 
happy  situation  of  this  city,  be- 
tween the  Mediterranean  and 
the  Red  Sea,  and  upon  the  river 
Nile,  drew  thither  the  com- 
merce of  the  east  and  west,  and 
in  a  little  time  rendered  it  one 
of  the  most  flourishing  cities  in 
the  world.  It  soon  became  the 
capital  of  Egypt;  though  now 
it  is  no  more  than  a  village, 
having  in  it,  nothing  remarka- 
ble, beside  its  ruins,  the  remains 
of  its  past  grandeur.  For  two 
hundred  years  after  the  death 
of  Alexander,  it  was  the  resi- 
dence of  his  successors.  This 
city  was  taken  from  the  Chris- 
tians bv  Amrou   Ebn-el-/\as, 

•i  ' 

general  of  the  Califf,  about  the 
middle  of  the  7th  century,  after 
a  siege  of  14  months,  in  which 
he  lost  23,000  men.  Alexan- 
dria then  contained  4,000  baths, 
12,000  sellers  of  vegetables, 
4,000  palaces  and  4,000  Jews, 
who  paid  tribute,  &c.  sometimes 
the  Jews  amounted  to  100.000, 
&c.  What  is  much  to  be  re- 
gretted by  the  lovers  of  books, 
the  library  was  destroyed  by 
this  ignorant,  bigotted  Arab,  in 


ALE 


ALE 


which  successive  kings  had  col- 
lected more  than  400,000,  or  as 
others  write,  700,000,  manu- 
scripts, or  volumes.  Among 
the  remains  of  ancient  opulence 
in  this  city,  are  two  obelisks 
full  of  hieroglyphics,  also  Pom- 
pey's  pillar,  which  is  one  entire 
piece  of  granite,  40  feet  high 
and  25  in  circumference.  The 
ancient  Pharos,  famous  among 
the  ancients,  as  one  of  the  seven 
wonders  of  the  world,  is  now  a 
castle,  and  useful  in  directing 
vessels  into  the  harbor.  This 
town  consists  chiefly  of  one 
street,  along  the  harbor,  the 
rest  being  a  waste  of  forsaken 
ruins.  Part  of  the  ancient  walls 
are  standing,  having  great 
square  towers  200  paces  apart. 
Each  of  these  would  contain 
200  soldiers,  and  had  a  cistern, 
which  received  the  water  of 
the  Nile.  The  gates  are  of 
Thebaic  and  granite  marble. 
But  the  immense  traffic  of  this 
place  has  in  a  measure  been 
lost,  since  its  subjugation  by 
.the  Turks,  and  especially  since 
the  discovery  of  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope.  Still  the  com- 
merce is  not  inconsiderable;  it 
is  the  principal  harbor  of  Egypt. 
The  town  is  low,  and  a  canal 
from  Faoua  brings  the  waters 
of  the  Nile,  during  the  inunda- 
tion into  reservoirs,  which  is  pre- 
served for  use  through  the  year. 


It  is  said  this  canal  is  the  only 
circumstance,  which  makes  Al- 
exandria a  part  of  Egypt. 
From  its  being  situated  with- 
out the  Delta,  it  really  belongs 
to  Lybia.  Here  is  still  seen 
the  church  of  St.  Mark.  They 
show  part  of  the  pulpit  in  which 
they  say  the  Evangelist  preach- 
ed. The  outside  of  the  church 
is  faced  with  stones  of  different 
colors.  The  body  of  St.  Mark, 
who  it  is  said  was  the  first 
bishop  of  Alexandria,  was  de- 
posited in  this  church,  where 
it  continued  till  some  Venetians 
carried  it  to  Venice,  where  is  a 
famous  church,  called  St. 
Mark's.  The  population  is 
reckoned  at  30,000.  The 
Turks  call  it  Scanderia,  or  Es- 
canderia.  It  is  33  miles  South 
West  from  Rosetta,  about  100 
north  westerly  from  Cairo. 
On  the  4th  of  July,  1788  Al- 
exandria was  taken  by  assault, 
by  the  French  army  under  the 
command  of  Napoleon  Bona- 
parte; he  put  to  flight  the 
Arabs  and  Mamelukes,  who 
defended  the  place,  killing 
about  300  of  them.  In  the  year 
1801,  the  place  was  taken  again 
by  the  English  army  under  the 
command  of  General  Hutchin- 
son, and  by  an  article  in  the 
preliminaries  of  peace,  Egypt 
was  to  be  restored  to  the  Sub- 
lime Ottoman  Porte.    Alexan- 


AMA 


AMA 


dria  is  situated  in  Lat.  31,  11, 
N.  long.  30,  16,  E.  To  this 
I  may  add  that  the  city  is  built 
over  against  the  little  island  of 
Pharos,  which  has  been  joined 
to  the  land,  and  for  the  security 
of  the  port,  the  Turks  have 
here  built  a  fort.  In  this  isle 
the  SEVENTY-two Interpreters 
are  said  to  have  translated  the 
Hebrew  bible  into  Greek,  in 
so  many  distinct  cells  or  apart- 
ments. This  work,  from  the 
number  of  persons  employed, 
is  called  the  Septuagint. 

ALMON,  a  city  belonging 
to  the  tribe  of  Benjamin  (Josh, 
xxi,  18)  Calmet  takes  it  to  be 
the  same  with  Alemeth.  It 
was  given  to  the  priests  of 
Aaron's  family  (1  Ch.  vi,  60. 

ALUSH,  one  of  the  Hebrew 
encampments  in  the  wilder- 
ness; it  was  in  the  region  of 
the  Edomites,  near  the  city 
Petra. 

AMAD,  a  city  belonging 
to  the  tribe  of  Asher,  (Josh, 
xxix,  26.)     Lat.  33,  1. 

AMALEK,  a  mountain  of 
Palestine  in  the  tribe  of  Ephra- 
im,  on  which  the  town  of  Pi- 
rathon  was  built,  and  where 
Abdon,  the  son  of  Hillel,  judge 
of  Israel,  was  buried,  1156  B. 
C.     Lat.  28,  30. 

AMALEKITES,  a  power- 
ful people,  who  dwelt  in  Ara- 
bia Petrea,  between  the  Dead 


sea,  and  the  Red  sea;  or  be- 
tween Havilah  and  Shur,  1 
Sam.  xv,  7,  sometimes  in 
one  canton  and  sometimes  in 
another.  It  does  not  appear, 
that  they  had  cities;  there  is 
but  one,  mentioned  in  the 
scriptures;  they  lived  generally 
in  hamlets,  caves,  and  tents,  and 
seem  to  have  had  the  same  fe- 
rocious character  with  the 
modern  Arabs.  The  Israe- 
lites had  scarce  passed  the 
Red  sea  on  their  way  to  the 
wilderness,  before  the  Amal- 
ekiies  came  to  attack  them  in 
the  deserts  of  Rephidim, 
Exod.  xvii,  8,,  &c.  and  put 
those  to  the  sword,  who  were 
obliged,  either  through  fatigue 
or  weakness,  to  remain  behind. 
Moses  by  God's  command, 
directed  Joshua  to  fall  upon 
this  people;  to  record  the  act 
of  inhumanity,  which  they  had 
committed,  in  a  book  in  order 
to  have  it  always  before  his 
eyes,  and  to  avenge  it,  in  the 
most  remarkable  manner. 
Joshua  therefore  fell  upon  the 
Amalekites  and  defeated  them, 
while  Moses  wars  upon  the 
mountain,  with  Aaron  and  Hur 
in  company.  During  the  time 
of  the  engagement,  Moses 
held  up  his  hands,  to  which 
the  success  of  the  battle  was 
owing,  for  as  often  as  he  let 
down  his   hands  Amalek  pre- 


AMA 


AMA 


Vailed,  but  Moses's  hands  being 
tired,  Aaron,  and  Hur  support- 
ed his  arms,  and  held  them  ex- 
tended, while  the  battle  lasted, 
which  was  from  morning',  till 
the  approach  of  night,  when 
the  Amalekites  were  cut  in 
pieces.  This  happened  in  the 
vear  of  the  world  2513  before 
Christ  1491. 

The  ground  of  the  enmity 
of  the  Amalekites,  against  the 
Israelites,  is  generally  supposed 
to  have  risen  from  the  remem- 
brance of  Jacob's  depriving 
their  progenitor,  both  of  his 
birthright  and  blessing.  Their 
falling  upon  them,  however, 
and  that  without  any  provoca- 
tion, when  they  saw  them  re- 
duced to  so  low  a  condition, 
by  the  fatigue  of  their  march, 
and  the  excessive  drought  un- 
der which  they  labored,  was 
an  inhuman,  barbarous  action, 
and  justly  deserved  the  attack 
which  Joshua  gave  them.  But 
the  reason  why  God  thought 
fit  to  denounce  a  perpetual  war 
against  them  is  to  be  resolved 
into  this.  Knowing  that  the 
Israelites  were  preordained  by 
God,  to  be  put  in  possession 
of  the  land  of  Canaan,  they 
came  against  them,  with  an 
armed  force  in  hopes  of  frus- 
trating the  designs  of  Provi- 
dence, concerning  them.  Un- 
der the  Judges  (v,  3,)  we  see 
'4    . 


the  Amalekites,  joined  with  the 
Midianites  and  Moabites  in  a 
design  to  oppress  Israel:  but 
Ehud  delivered  the  Israelites 
from  Eglon,  king  of  the  Moa- 
bites; Judges  iii,  and  Gideon 
chap,  viii,  delivered  them  from 
the  Midianites  and  Amalekites. 
About  the  year  of  the  world 
2930  the  Lord  said  to  Samuel, 
"Go  to  Saul,  1  Sam.  xv,  1,  &c. 
and  say,  Thus  saith  the  Lord 
of  Hosts,  I  reme mber  that  which 
Amalek  did  to  Israel,  how  he 
laid  wait  for  him  in  the  way, 
when  he  came  up  from  Egypt. 
Now  go  and  smite  Amalek, 
and  utterly  destroy  all  that 
they  have  and  spare  them  not, 
but  slay  both  man  and  woman, 
infant  and  suckling,  ox  and 
sheep,  camel  and  ass."  Saul 
marched,  therefore,  against  the 
Amalekites,  advanced  as  far  as 
their  capital,  and  put  all  the 
people  of  the  country  to  the 
sword;  but  spared  the  best  of 
all  the  cattle  and  moveables,  and 
so  violated  the  command  of 
God.  This  act  of  disobedience 
was  the  cause  of  Saul's  misfor- 
tunes, and  his  being  rejected 
by  God.  After  this  war,  the 
Amalekites  scarce  appear  any 
more  in  history;  however,  about 
the  year  of  the  world  2949,  a 
troop  of  Amalekites  came  and 
pillaged  Ziklag,  which  belong- 
ed to   David,    I    Sam.  xxx, 


AMA 


AMA 


where  he  had  left  his  two  wives, 
Ahinoam  and  Abigail.  But 
he  returning  from  an  expedi- 
tion, which  he  had  made  in 
the  company  of  Achish  into  the 
valley  of  Jezreel,  pursued  them, 
overtook  and  dispersed  them, 
and  recovered  all  the  booty, 
which  they  had  carried  from 
Ziklag.  The  Arabians  main- 
tain Amalek  to  have  been  the 
son  of  Ham,  and  grandson  of 
Noah,  that  he  was  the  father  of 
Ad,  and  grandfather  of  Sched- 
ad.  Calmet  thinks  that  this 
opinion  is  by  no  means  to  be 
rejected;  as  it  is  not  very  prob- 
able that  Amalek',  the  son  of 
Eliphaz,  and  grandson  of  Esau 
should  be  the  father  of  a  peo- 
pfe,  so  powerful  and  numerous 
as  the  Amalekites  were,  when 
the  Israelites  departed  out  of 
Egypt.  Moses  in  the  book  of 
Genesis  xiv,  7,  relates,  that  in 
Abraham's  time,  long  before 
the  birth  of  Amalek,  the  son 
of  Eliphaz,  the  five  confeder- 
ate kings  carried  the  war  into 
Amalek's  country,  about  Ka- 
desh;  and  into  that  of  the  Am- 
orites,  about  Hazezon-tamar. 
The  same  Moses,  Numb,  xxiv, 
20,  relates  that  the  diviner 
Baalam,  observing  at  a  dis- 
tance the  land  of  Amalek,  said 
in  his  prophetic  style,  'Ama- 
lek is  the  first,  the  head,  the 
original  of  the  nation,  but  his 


latter  end  shall  be,  that  he  per- 
ish for  ever."  Our  commen- 
tator observes  that  this  epithet, 
"the  first  of  nations  cannot  cer 
tainly  agree  with  the  Am  ale 
kites,  descended  from  th 
son  of  Eliphaz,  because  the 
generation  then  living  was  but 
the  third  from  Amalek.  Be- 
sides, Moses  never  reproaches 
the  Amalekites  with  attacking 
their  brethren  the  Israelites  as 
an  aggravating  circumstance, 
which  he  would  not  have  omit- 
ted, were  the  Amalekites  de- 
scended from  Esau,  in  which 
case  they  had  been  the  breth- 
ren of  the  Israelites.  Lastly, 
we  see  the  Amalekites,  almost 
always  joined  in  scripture, 
with  the  Canaanites  and  Philis- 
tines, and  never  with  the  Edo- 
mites;  and  when  Saul  made  war 
with  the  Amalekites  and  almost 
utterly  destroyed  them,  we 
do  not  find  that  the  Edo- 
mites,  made  the  least  motion 
toward  their  assistance,  or  to 
revenge  them  afterwards. 
Thence  it  is  thought  probable, 
that  the  Amalekites,  who  are 
so  often  mentioned  in  scripture, 
were  a  people,  descended  from 
Canaan,  and  devoted  to  the 
curse,  as  well  as  the  other  Am- 
orites,  and  very  different  from 
the  descendants  of  Amalek,  the 
gnndsonofEsau.  Theaccount 
which  the  Arabians  give  us,  of 


AMA 


AMA 


the  Amalekitcs,  destroyed  by 
Saul,  are  as  follows.  Amalek 
was  the  father  of  an  ancient  tribe 
in  Arabia,  exterminated  in  the 
reign  of  Saul.  This  tribe  con- 
tained only  the  Arabians,  who 
are  called  pure,  the  remains  of 
which  were  mingled  with  the 
posterity  of  Joktan  and  Adnan, 
and  so  become  Mosarabes  or 
Monstaarabes,  that  is  to  say, 
Arabians  blended  with  foreign 
nations,  they  farther  believe 
that  Goliah,  who  was  overcome 
by  David,  was  king  of  the 
Amalekitcs,  and  that  the  giants, 
who  inhabited  Palestine  in 
Joshua's  time,  were  of  the 
same  race;  that  finally  part  of 
the  Amalekites  retired  into 
Africa,  while  Joshua  was  yet 
living,  and  settled  upon  the 
coast  of  Barbary,  and  along  the 
Mediterranean  sea.  The  son 
of  Amalek  was  Ad,  a  celebra- 
ted prince  among  the  Arabians. 
Some  make  him  the  son  of  Uz, 
and  grandson  of  Aram,  the 
son  of  Shem.  Let  this  be  as 
it  will,  the  Mahometans  say, 
that  Ad  was  the  father  of 
Ad,  who  was  the  father  of  an 
Arabian  tribe,  called  Adites, 
who  were  exterminated,  as 
they  tell  us,  for  not  hearkening 
to  the  patriarch  Eber,  who 
preached  the  Unity  of  God  to 
them.  Ad  was  the  father  of 
two  sons  Schodad  and  Shcdid. 


Notwithstanding  the  length 
of  this  article,  it  would  be  un- 
pardonable not  to  notice  the 
remarkable  fulfilment  of  proph- 
ecy respecting  this  people. 
Balaam  prophesied,  "Amalek 
was  the  first  of  nations,  but 
his  latter  end  shall  be,  that  he 
perish  forever."  This  most 
potent  kingdom  shall  be  blot- 
ted from  existence.  This  was 
only  confirming  what  Moses 
had  said  before,  Exod.  xvii, 
14.  "Write  this  for  a  memo- 
rial in  a  book,  and  rehearse  it 
in  the  ears  of  Joshua,  that  I 
will  utterly  put  out  the  rente  m- 
berance  of  Amalek  from  under 
heaven." 

Saul  in  a  great  measure  ex- 
ecuted this  sentence.  After 
this,  David  smote  the  land, 
and  left  neither  man  nor  wom- 
an alive.  Where  is  now  the 
name  of  Amalek?  Where  does 
this  people  live?  Wrhere  are 
the  records  of  their  exploits? 
They  have  "perished  for  ever,'* 
"the  remembrance  of  them  is 
put  out  from   under  heaven." 

AMAN,  a  city  belonging 
to  the  tribe  of  Judah.  Josh, 
xv,  26.     Lat.  31,  7. 

AMANA,  a  valley  of  Ca- 
naan, between  the  two  seas, 
where  Gog  and  his  congregat- 
ed hosts  will  be  buried,  after 
their  discomfiture  in  the  battle 
of  the  great  day  of  God  Al- 


AMA 


AMM 


mighty,  which  some  learned 
men  expect  will  take  place 
fifty-four  years  from  this  time, 
1812.  In  this  valley  of  passen- 
gers, lying  east  of  the  great 
sea,  the  stench  of  the  putrefy- 
ing hosts  will  be  such,  that 
travellers  will  stop  their  noses; 
all  the  people  of  Israel  will  be 
employed  seven  months  in  bu- 
rying the  slain;  after  this  many 
individuals  will  be  appointed 
to  search  for  what  remains. 
Ezek.  xxxix,  11 — 15. 

AMANA,  a  mountain  men- 
tioned in  the  song  of  Solo- 
mon; Lat.  31,  7:  some  are  of 
opinion  that  it  was  in  Cilicia, 
to  which  country  the  govern- 
ment of  Solomon  did  extend. 
Some  suppose  the  following 
mountain  is  intended. 

Amana,  a  mountain  east 
of  Jordan  in  the  half  tribe  of 
Manasseh,nine  miles  from  lake 
Meron.  The  mountain  was 
three  leagues  in  circuit,  and  at 
the  base  is  a  fine  vineyard;  the 
top  is  always  covered  with 
snow,  for  which  reason  the  A- 
rabs  call  it  the  old  man's  moun- 
tain. Sanson  says,  it  was  not 
far  from  the  fountains  of  Jor- 
dan.    Lat.  33, 2G. 

AMATH,  or  Ematii,  a 
city  of  Syria;  the  same  with 
Emesa  on  the  Orontes. 

AMATHUS,  a  city  east  of 
Jordan,  twenty-one  miles  to 
Fella   on  the  south.      Reland 


conjectures  that  Amathus  and 
Ramoth-Gilead  are  the  same. 

AMATHEANS,  a  people 
descended  from  Amath,  a  son 
of  Canaan.  It  is  supposed  they 
inhabited  Amath  in  Syria. 

AMANAH,  in  the  Jewish 
writers  is  the  same  as  mount 
Hor,  which  rose  in  the  north- 
ern boundary  of  their  country. 

AMMAH,  a  hill  of  Pales- 
tine, near  Hebron,  mentioned 
2  Sam.  ii,  24.  It  signifies  the 
hill  of  two  ways,  where  two 
roads  turn  off.  At  the  foor.  of 
the  hill  was  a  pool  of  water. 

AMMAN,  the  capital  city 
of  the  Amonites  in  Arabia, 
called  in  Scripture  Rabbath 
Ammon,  but  in  profane  au- 
thors, Philadelphia.  In  the 
time  of  Eusebeus,  he  says  it 
was  an  illustrious  city.  See 
Rabbath. 

AMMON,     See    No-Am- 

MON. 

AMMONITES,  a  people 
descended  from  Ammon,  the 
son  of  Lot.  The  Ammonites 
destroyed  those  giants,  which 
they  called  Zamzummims, 
(Deut.  ii,  19 — 21)  and  seized 
upon  their  country.  God  for- 
bad Moses,  and  by  him  the 
children  of  Israel  (ib.  19)  to 
attack  the  Ammonites,  because 
he  did  not  intend  to  give  their 
lands  to  the  Hebrews.  Before 
the  Israelites  entered  the  land 
of  Canaan,  the  Ammoritcs  had 


AMM 


AMM 


by  conquest  got  a  great  part 
of  the  country  belonging  to  the 
Ammonites,  and  Moabites. 
This,  Moses  retook  from  the 
Amorites  and  divided  between 
the  tribes  of  Gad  and  Reuben. 
In  the  time  of  Jepthah  the 
Ammonites  declared  war  a- 
gainst  the  Israelites,  (Judg.  xi,) 
under  pretence  that  they  de- 
tained a  great  part  of  the  coun- 
try, which  had  formerly  been 
theirs,  before  the  Amorites 
possessed  it.  Jepthah  declared, 
that  as  this  was  an  acquisition, 
which  the  Israelites  had  made 
in  a  just  war,  and  what  they 
had  taken  from  the  Amorites, 
who  had  long  enjoyed  it  by 
right  of  conquest,  he  was  un- 
der no  obligations  to  restore  it. 
The  Ammonites  were  not  sat- 
isfied with  this  mode  of  rea- 
soning. Wherefore  Jepthah 
gave  them  battle  and  defeated 
them. 

The  Ammonites  and  Moab- 
ites generally  united,  whenever 
there  was  any  design  set  a  foot 
for  attacking  the  Israelites. 
After  the  death  of  Othniel,  the 
Ammonites  and  Amalekites 
joined  with  Eglon,  king  of 
Moab,  to  oppress  the  Hebrews, 
whom  they  subdued,  and  gov- 
erned for  the  space  of  eighteen 
years,  till  they  were  delivered 
by  Ehud,  the  son  of  Gera, 
who    slew    Eglon,     king     of 


Moab.  Sometime  after  this, 
the  Ammonites  made  war 
against  Israel  and  greatly 
distressed  them,  but  God  de- 
livered the  Israelites  at  this 
time  from  the  oppressions  of 
the  children  of  Amnion,  by  the 
hands  of  Jepthah,  who  having 
attacked  them,  made  a  very 
great  slaughter  among  them, 
(chap,  xi.)  Naash,  king  of  the 
Ammonites,  having  sat  down 
before  Jabesh-Gilead,  reduced 
the  inhabitants  to  the  extrem- 
ity of  demanding  a  capitula- 
tion. Naash  answered,  that  he 
would  capitulate  with  them 
upon  no  other  conditions,  than 
their  submitting  to  have  the 
right  eye  of  every  one  plucked 
out,  so  that  they  might  be  made 
a  reproach  to  Israel:  but  Saul 
coming  seasonal)1}'  to  the  relief 
cf  Jabesh,  delivered  the  city 
and  people  from  the  barbarity 
of  the  Ammonites. 

David  had  been  the  king  of 
Amnion's  friend;  and  after  the 
death  of  this  prince,  he  sent 
ambassadors  to  make  his  com- 
pliments of  condolence,  to  Ha- 
nun,  his  son  and  successor, 
who  imaginingthatDavicPs  nm- 
bassadors  had  come  as  spies 
to  observe  the  strength  and  the 
condition  of  his  kingdom,  treat- 
ed them  in  a  very  abusive 
manner,  (2  Sam.  x,  4,)  for 
which    David    was    avenged, 


AMM 


AMM 


chap,  xii,  3,  he  put  them,  as  it 
may  be  read,  to  saws  and  har- 
rows, &c.  i.  e.  to  servitude. 
David  revenged  this  indignity, 
thrown  upon  his  ambassadors, 
by  subduing  the  Ammonites, 
the  Moabites,  and  the  Syrians, 
their  allies.  Amnion  and  Mo- 
ab  continued  under  the  obedi- 
ence of  the  kings,  David  and 
Solomon,  and  after  the  separa- 
tion of  the  ten  tribes,  they 
were  subject  to  the  kings  of 
Israel  till  the  death  of  Ahab  in 
the  year  of  the  world  3107. 
Two  years  after  the  death  of 
Ahab,  Jehoram,  his  son,  and 
successor  of  Ahaziah,  defeat- 
ed the  Moabites,  (2  Kings  hi,) 
but  it  does  not  appear  that  this 
victory  was  so  complete  as  to 
reduce  them  to  his  obedience. 
At  the  same  time  the  Ammon- 
ites, Moabites,  and  other  peo- 
ple, made  an  irruption  upon 
the  lands  belonging  to  Judah, 
but  were  forced  back  and  rout- 
ed by  Jehoshaphat.  2  Chron. 
xx,  1,  2.  After  the  tribes, 
Reuben,  Gad,  and  the  half 
tribe  of  Manasseh,  were  carried 
into  captivity,  by  Tiglath- 
pileser  in  the  year  3264,  the 
Ammonites  and  Moabites,  took 
possession  of  the  cities,  belong- 
ing to  these  tribes.  Jeremiah 
(xlix,  1)  reproaches  them  for 
it.  The  ambassadors  of  the 
Ammonites  were  some  of  those 


to  whom  this  prophet,  (chap, 
xxvii,  2 — 4)  presented  the  cup 
of  the  Lord's  fury,  and  direct- 
ed them  to  make  bonds  and 
yokes  for  themselves,  exhort- 
ed them  to  submit  themselves 
to  Nebuchadnezzar,  and  threat- 
ening them,  if.  they  did  not, 
with  captivity  and  slavery.  E- 
zekiel  (xxv,  4 — 10)  denounces 
their  entire  destruction;  and 
tells  them  that  God  would  give 
them  up  to  the  people  of  the 
east,  who  should  set  their  pal- 
aces in  their  country;  so  that 
there  should  be  no  more  men- 
tion of  the  Ammonites  among 
the  nations;  and  all  this  as  a 
punishment  for  their  insulting 
the  Israelites,  upon  the  calami- 
ties they  suffered,  and  the  de- 
struction of  the  temple,  by  the 
Chaldeans.  It  is  believed  that 
these  misfortunes  happened  to 
the  Ammonites,  in  the  fifth  year 
after  the  taking  of  Jerusalem, 
when  Nebuchadnezzar  made 
war  against  all  the  people,  that 
dwelt  upon  the  confines  of  Ju- 
dea,  in  the  year  of  the  world 
3420.  It  is  also  thought  prob- 
able, that  Cyrus,  gave  the  Am- 
monites and  Moabites  the  lib- 
erty of  returning  into  their  own 
country,  from  whence  they  had 
been  removed  by  Nebuchad- 
nezzar, for  we  see  them  in  the 
place  of  their  former  settle- 
ment, exposed  to  those  revo« 


AMM 


AMM 


lutions,  which  were  common 
to  the  people  of  Syria  and 
Palestine,  subject  sometimes 
to  the  kings  of  Egypt,  and  at 
other  times  to  the  kings  of 
Syria.  We  are  told  by  Poly- 
bius,  that  Antiochus  the  Great 
took  Rabbath  or  Philadelphia, 
tfieir  capital,  demolished  the 
Walls,  and  put  a  garrison  in  it, 
in  3806.  During  the  persecu- 
tions of  Antiochus  Epiphanes, 
Joseph  us  informs  us,  that  the 
Ammonites  shewed  their  hat- 
red to  the  Jews,  and  exercised 
great  cruelties  against  such  of 
them,  as  lived  about  their 
country.  Justin  Martyr  says, 
that  in  his  time,  there  were  still 
many  Ammonites  remaining; 
but  Origen  assures  us,  that 
when  he  was  living,  they  were 
known  only  under  the  general 
name  of  Arabians.  Thus  was 
the  prediction  of  Ezek.  (xxv, 
10)  accomplished,  who  said 
that  the  Ammonites  should  be 
destroyed  in. such  a  nianner  as 
not  to  be  remembered  among 
the  nations.  Zeehariah  also 
says,  chap,  ii,  ''Amnion — shall 
be  as  Gomorrah."  Their  very 
«name  is  accordingly,  now  ex- 
tinct. They  are  known  only 
in  the  records  of  other  times. 
I  cannot  omit  taking  notice 
here,  observes  the  good  Dr. 
Wells  of  the  dispensations  of 
Providence  in  assigning  the 
first  settlements  of  the  descend- 


ants of  Abraham  and  Lot.  The 
land  of  Canaan  was  to  be  in 
due  time  in  possession  of  the 
Israelites,  the  sons  of  Jacob. 
South  of  Canaan  settled  Ish- 
mael  in  the  wilderness  of  Pa- 
ran,  and  west  of  mount  Scir, 
which  was  to  be  the  possession 
of  Esau,  the  brother  of  Jacob. 
East  of  mount  Seir,  the  Midi- 
anites  seated  themselves,  with 
the  other  sons  of  Keturah. 
North  of  these  were  found  the 
two  sons  of  Lot,  Moab  and  Be- 
nammi.  It  is  worthy  of  notice 
that  Providence  made  room 
for  these  settlements  of  Abram's 
children,  Israel  excepted,  by 
the  great  slaughter  of  the  orig- 
inal inhabitants  by  Chedorla- 
omer,  king  of  Elam,  and  his 
confederates.  That  we  might 
understand  this  fact  seems  to 
be  the  design  of  Moses  in  giv- 
ing an  account  of  the  con- 
quests of  Chedorlaomar  over 
these  countries,  Gen.xiv,5 — 7. 

AMORITES,  ob  Amorr- 
hites,  a  people  descended 
from  Amorrhceus,  according 
to  the  Septuagint  and  Vulgate; 
Emoraeus  according  to  other 
expositors;  Hzemori,  according 
to  the  Hebrew;  or  Emorite,  ac- 
cording to  our  version  of  the 
Bible,  who  was  the  fourth  son 
of  Canaan,  Gen.  x,  16. 

The  Amorites,  first  of  all, 
peopled  the  mountains  lying  to 
the  west  of  the  Dead  sea;  they 


AMO 


AMP 


had  likewise  establishments  to 
the  east  of  the  same  sea,  be- 
tween the  brooks  of  Jabbok 
and  Arnon,  whenee  they  forced 
the  Ammonites  and  Moabites. 
Numb,  xviii,  30,21,29;  Josh, 
v,  1;  and  Judg.  xi,  19,  20. 
Moses  made  a  conquest  of  this 
country  from  their  kings,  Si- 
hon  and  Og,  in  the  year  of  the 
world  2553. 

The  prophet  Amos  (ii,  9) 
speaking  of  the  gigantic  stature 
and  valor  of  the  Amorites,  com- 
pares their  height  with  that  of 
cedars,  and  their  strength  with 
that  of  an  oak.  The  name 
Amorites  is  often  taken  in  scrip- 
ture for  all  Canaanitcs  in  gen- 
eral. The  lands,  which  the 
Amorite  possessed  on  this  side 
Jordan,  were  given  to  the  tribe 
of  Judah;  and  those  which  they 
had  enjoyed  beyond  this  river 
were  distributed  between  the 
tribes  of  Reuben  and  Gad.  In- 
deed there  seems  to  have  been 
very  different  tribes  of  men 
©ailed  by  this  general  name. 

Amorrhites,  inhabited  a  part 
of  mount  Lebanon,  E.ist  of 
Phenicia. 

Amorrhites,  dwelt  in  mount 
Gilead,  between  the  rivers 
Jabbok  and  Arnon. 

Amorrhites,  inhabited  the 
mountain  of  Paran,  between 
mount  Sinai  and  Kadesh  Bur- 
nea,  Gen.  xv.     As  their  He- 


brew name  signifies  branch- 
ing or  spreading;  it  may,  there- 
fore, simply  mean  the  people 
who  live  in  the  numenous  and 
extensive  branches  of  mount 
Paran,  Gilead,  and  Lebanon, 
Wells,  &c. 

AMPHIPOLIS,a  city  lying 
between  Macedon  and  Thrace, 
but  depending  on  the  kingdom 
of  Macedon.  It  is  mentioned 
in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles 
(xvii,  1.)  St.  Paul  and  Silas, 
being  delivered  out  of  prison, 
left  Phillippi,  went  to  Thessa- 
lonica,  and  passed  through  Am- 
phipolis;  but  it  does  not  appear, 
that  any  church  was  formed 
there:  It  has  its  name  from  be- 
ing encompassed  by  the  river 
Strymon,  the  old  boundary  be- 
tween Thrace  and  Macedon.  It 
was  built  by  Cimon  the  famous 
Athenian,  470  years  before 
Christ,  and  settled  with  a  col- 
ony of  10,000  people.  It  is 
now  called  Emboli  by  the 
Turks;  but  is  not  a  place  of 
much  importance.  Lat.  41,  50. 

ANA,  a  city  of  Arabia  De- 
serta  on  the  Euphrates.  Upon 
an  island  near  it  is  a  very  fine 
mosque.  For  half  a  league 
round  the  town  is  a  fruitful 
soil,  beyond  which  is  a  fright- 
ful desert. 

ANAB,  a  city  in  the  moun- 
tains of  Judah.  Josh,  xi,  22, 
Lat.  31,  12. 


ANA 


ANA 


ANAHARATH.a  city  be- 
longing  to  the  tribe  of  Issachar. 
Job'h.  xix,  19.     Lat.  32,  32. 

ANAKIMS,  a  people  de- 
scended from  Anak,  who  was 
the  son  of  Arba;  Nurnb.  xhi, 
22.  These  people,  like  their 
fathers,  were  giants, and  terrible 
for  their  fierceness.  But  Caleb, 
assisted  by  the  tribe  of  Judah, 
took  Kirjath-arbaand  destroyed 
the  Anakims;  Judges  i,  20. 
There  seems  to  have  been 
several  races  of  giants  in  Pal- 
estine. The  Emims,  Repha- 
ims,  &c.  See  Rephaims. 
The  Anakims,  or  the  sons  of 
Anak,  were  the  most  famous 
giants  of  Palestine.  They 
dwelt  at  Hebron,  and  in  the 
vicinity.  Their  stature  was 
so  much  above  what  was  com- 
mon, that  the  Israelites,  who 
were  sent  to  view  the  promis- 
ed land,  told  the  people  at 
their  return,  that  they  had 
seen  giants,  who  were  of  so 
monstrous  a  size,  that  the  Is- 
raelites in  comparison  were 
but  grasshoppers.  Numbers 
xiii,  23.  The  Septuagint 
sometimes  translate  the  word 
Gibbor,  giant ',  though  literally 
it  signifies  no  more  than  a 
strong  man,  a  man  of  valor 
and  bravery,  a  warrior.  For 
example,  they  say,  that  Nimrod 
was  a  giant  before  the  Lord, 
Gen.  x,  8,  9;  that  the  sun  rises 
5 


like  a  giant  to  run  his  course, 
Psalm  xi,  5:  that  the  Lord 
will  destroy  the  giant  and  the 
warlike  man,  Isaiah  iii,  2;  that  he 
will  call  his  giants  in  his  wrath 
to  take  vengeance  of  his  ene- 
mies, Isaiah  xiii,  3;  that  he 
will  destroy  the  power  of 
Egypt  by  the  sword  of  his 
giants,  that  is  to  say,  of  his 
warriors,  Ezekiel  xxxii,  12, 
21,  27. 

It  is  very  probable,  that  the 
first  men  were  of  a  strength 
and  stature  much  superior  to 
those  of  mankind  at  present, 
since  they  lived  longer;  long 
life  being  commonly  the  effect 
of  a  vigorous  constitution. 
The  scripture  says  that  there 
were  many  of  these  mighty, 
men  upon  the  earth  when 
Noah  appeared,  and  that  .there 
were  some  before,  and  after 
the  sons  of  God  had  an  inter- 
course with  the  daughters  of 
men.  The  text  in  Moses 
runs  thus,  "there  were  giants 
in  the  earth  in  those  days,  and 
also  after  that,  when  the  sons 
of  God  came  in  unto  the 
daughters  of  men,  and  they 
bear  children  to  them."  Sev- 
eral of  the  ancient  authors,  led 
into  mistake  by  the  apocry. 
phal  book  of  Enoch,  have  as- 
serted, that  giants  were  the 
production  of  a  marriage  be- 
tween   angels  and   the  daugh- 


ANA 


ANA 


ters  of  men.  This  opinion  they 
founded,  likewise,  upon  the 
text  of  me  Septuagint,  which 
in  some  copies  stand  thus, 
Gen.  vi,  2,  The  angels  of 
God  saw  that  the  daughters  of 
men  were  beautiful  and  fair, 
and  all  which  they  chose.  But 
Moses  in  this  place  means 
nothing  else,  but  that  the  men 
of  Seth's  family,  which  was 
the  family  of  the  righteous,  and 
the  sons  of  God,  were  corrupt- 
ed by  their  affections  to  the 
women  of  Cain's  race,  who  are 
here  described  under  the  name 
of  the  daughters  of  men.  Thus 
St.  Chrysostom,  Theodoret, 
St.  Cyril  of  Alexandria,  St. 
Austin  and  many  more,  have 
explained  it. 

As  to  the  existence  of  Gi- 
ants, several  writers,  ancient 
and  modern,  have  imagined, 
that  the  giants  spoken  of  in 
scripture,  were  indeed  men  of 
an  extraordinary  stature,  but 
not  so  much  above  what  was 
common  as  some  have  fancied, 
who  describe  them  as  three  or 
four  times  larger,  than  men 
are  at  present.  They  were, 
say  they,  men  famous  for  the 
violences,  which  they  commit- 
ted, and  for  their  crimes  rather 
than  their  strength,  or  the 
greatness  of  their  stature.  But 
it  cannot  be  denied,  that  form- 
erly there  were  men  of  a  stature, 


mucli  above  common  men, 
without  contradicting  scripture, 
and  the  most  certain  histories 
and  traditions  of  all  people. 
Moses,  Deut.  iii,  11,  speaks 
ofOg,  the  king  ofBaashan's 
bed,  which  was  9  cubits  long, 
and  four  wide,  that  is  fifteen 
feet  four  inches  and  an  half 
long.  Goliah,  was  six  cubits 
and  a  span  In  height,  that  is  to 
say,  ten  [feet  seven  inches;  1 
Sam.  xvii,  4.  These  giants 
were  still  common  in  Joshua's 
and  David's  times,  when  the 
life  of  men  was  already  so 
much  shortened,  and  as  may 
be  presumed,  the  size  and 
strength  of  human  bodies  very 
much  diminished.  Calmefs 
Diet. 

The  ancient  writers,  who 
make  mention  of  giants,  are 
Herodotus,  Diodorus  Siculus, 
Pliny,  Homer,  Virgil,  Ovid, 
Plutarch,  &c.  Mr.  Whiston 
in  his  Original  Records,  has  a 
supplement  concerning  the  old 
giants,  where,  according  to  the 
apocryphal  book  of  Enoch  he 
divides  the  giants  into  three 
kinds  and  in  this  division  thinks 
himself  countenanced  by  the 
words  of  Moses,  Gen.  vi,  2, 
&c.  the  first  and  lowest  kind 
of  which  are  in  stature  from  4 
cubits  to  15,  the  second  are 
called  Nephilim,  from  15  to 
forty,  and  the   third  or   great 


ANA 


ANT 


giants  40  cubits   at  least   and 
many  times  above. 

AN  AMI  M,  whether  this  b* 
the  name  of  an  individual  or  a 
nation  or  tribe  of  men  has  been 
doubted.  But  as  this  and  many 
other  words  of  the  same  species, 
have  plural  terminations  in 
Hebrew,  it  may  be  presumed 
they  signify  a  people,  or  nation. 
The  Anamim  were  descend- 
ants of  Mizraim,  a  son  of 
Ham,  who  settled  in  Egvpt. 
Lat.  26,  N. 

ANATHOTH,  a  city  of 
Palestine  belonging  to  the  tribe 
of  Benjamin,  Josh,  xxi,  18. 
About  three  miles  distant  from 
Jerusalem,  according  to  Euse- 
bius  and  St.  Jerome;  or  twenty 
furlongs  according  to  Josephus. 
This  was  the  birth  place  of  the 
prophet  Jeremiah.  It  was  given 
to  the  Levites  of  Koath's  fami- 
ly, for  their  habitation,  and  to 
be  a  city  of  refuge.  After  the 
death  of  his  father,  Solomon 
ordered  Abiathar  the  priest, 
who  had  joined  the  party  of 
Adonijah,  to  retire  to  Ana- 
thoth.     Lat.  31,47- 

ANEM,  a  city  of  Palestine, 
belonging  to  the  tribe  of  Ma- 
nasseh,  given  by  lot  to  the  Le- 
vites of  Koath's  family,  1  Chr. 
vi,  10. 

Anem,  a  city  belonging  to 
the  tribe  of  Judah,  Josh,  xv, 
50.  It  was  eight  or  ten  t miles 
east  of  Hebron. 


ANER,  a  Levitical  city  on 
the  west  of  Jordan  in  the  half 
tribe  of  Manasseh. 

ANGE,  a  mountain  men- 
tioned in  the  Latin  text  of  Ju- 
dith ii,  21.  The  text,  says  this 
mountain  lies  to  the  left  of  Ci- 
licia;  it  is  the  highest  in  these 
parts.  Strabo  says,  it  is  always 
covered  with  snow,  and  that 
from  its  summit  the  Euxine 
and  sea  of  Cilicia  are  both  vis- 
ible. 

^  ANTARADA,  a  city  of 
Syria,  lying  on  the  continent, 
opposite  to  the  island  Aradus, 
or  Arada.  Though  this  town 
is  not  mentioned  in  scripture; 
yet  mention  is  made  of  Arada, 
or  Arva,  or  the  Arvadites. 
Antarada  is  now  called  Tortosa, 
and  is  noted  for  its  fine  harbor. 
ANTHEDON,  see  Agrip- 

PIAS. 

ANTIOCH,  according  to 
Mr  Wells,  there  were  no  less 
than  sixteen  cities  of  that  name 
in  Syria  and  other  countries; 
but  the  Scripture  speaks  only 
of  the  greater  Antioch,  which 
was  the  capital  of  Syria;  and  of 
another  Antioch  of  Pisidia; 
Antioch  the  capital  of  Syria 
was  frequently  called  Antiochia 
Epidaphne,  from  its  neighbor- 
hood to  Daphne,  a  village  where 
the  temple  of  Daphne  stood. 
Antioch  of  Syria,  ii  we  believe 
St.Jerome,  was  formerly  called 
Riblath  or  Riblatha,  of  which 


ANT 


ANT 


there  is  mention  in  the  book 
of  Numbers  xxxiv,  11;  in  the 
2  book  of  Kings  xxiii,33;xxvii, 
6;  xxix,  21;  and  in  Jeremiah 
xxxix,  5;  liii,  9;  x,  26,  27. 
Theodoret  says,  that  in  his 
time,  there  was  a  city  called 
Riblath,  near  Emesa  in  Syria, 
which  is  very  contrary  to  St. 
Jerome's  opinion.  However 
this  may  be,  it  is  certain  Anti- 
och  was  not  known  under  this 
name,  till  after  the  reign  of  Se- 
leucusNicanor,who  built  it,and 
called  it  Antioch,  in  memory  of 
his  father  Antiochus  in  the  year 
301  before  the  Christian  era. 
Hence  there  is  no  mention  of 
this  Antioch  in  Scripture,  ex- 
cepting in  the  book  of  Macca- 
bees, and  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment. Here  resided  the  kings 
of  Syria,  successors  of  Alexan- 
der the  Great.  Then  it  was  a 
beautiful,  flourishing,  and  illus- 
trious city,  though  at  present 
scarce  any  thing  remains,  but  a 
heap  of  ruins.  However,  the 
walls  are  still  standing;  but 
within  these  walls,  there  is  no- 
thing but  gardens,  ruins,  and 
shattered  houses.  The  river 
Orontes  runs  near  the  city  on 
the  outside.  The  Bishop  of 
Antioch  has  the  title  of  Patri- 
arch, and  at  all  times  has  had 
a  great  share  in  the  affairs  of 
the  eastern  church.  The  city 
of  Antioch  was  in  form  almost 
square;  it  had  a  great  number 


of  gates,  and  part  of  it  on  the 
north  side  was  raised  upon  a 
high  mountain.  It  was  adorn- 
ed with  galleries  and  fountains, 
palaces  and  magnificent  tem- 
ples; it  was  strongly  fortified 
by  art  and  nature.  Ammianus 
Marcellinus  says,  that  it  was 
celebrated  throughout  the 
world,  and  that  no  other  city 
exceeded  it  either  in  fertility 
of  soil,  or  in  richness  of  trade. 
The  emperor  Vespasian  Titus, 
and  others  granted  it  very  great 
privileges;  but  sometime  after- 
ward it  underwent  several  revo- 
lutions,havingbeen  almost  total- 
ly demolished  bytwo  successive 
earthquakes,  one  of  which  hap- 
pened in  the  fourth,  the  other 
in  the  fifth  centuries.  In  548, 
it  was  taken  and  burned  by  the 
Persians,  and  all  the  inhabitants 
put  to  the  sword;  four  years  af- 
ter this,  Justinian  rebuilt  it,  in  a 
more  beaut  iful  and  regular  man- 
ner, than  it  was  before.  The 
Persians  however  took  it  a 
second  time  in  574,  and 
destroyed  its  walls.  In  588, 
it  suffered  again  by  a  dreadful 
earthquake,  by  which  upwards 
of  60,000  persons  perished.  It 
was  once  more  rebuilt,  but 
taken  by  the  Saracens  in  637. 
Nicephoras  Phocas  retook  it  in 
966,  but  afterwards  it  was  a- 
gain  taken  by  the  Saracens. 
The  Christians  in  the  crusades 
took  it  in  1098;  but  it  was  tak- 


ANT 


ANT 


en  and  demolished  by  the  Sa- 
racens in  L268  As  to  its  sit- 
uation Mi  Wells  says  it  lay 
on  both  sicks  the  river  Orontes, 
about  12  miles  distanl  from  the 
Mediterranean  sea.  The  place 
is  worthy  of  remembrance  on 
account  of  several  interesting 
events,  which  here  took  plate. 
Here  the  disciples  of  Jesus 
Christ  were  first  called  Chris- 
tians,  having  before  been  call- 
ed, by  way  of  derision,  Naza- 
reftes,  as  the  Jews  scornfully 
call  them  to  the  present  time, 
and  as  the  Pagans  called  them 
Galileans.  Here  was  the  fre- 
quent residence  of  several  Ro- 
man emperors,  especially  Verus 
and  Valens,  who  spent  a  great 
part  of  their  time  in  Antioch. 
Here  was  the  birth  place  of  St. 
Luke  the  Evangelist,  of  The- 
ophilus,  Antiochenus.  The 
celebrated  martyr  Ignatius  was 
bishop  of  this  place.  Here  St. 
Paul  and  Barnabas  preached  a 
whole  year.  Joseph  us  says  it 
was  the  third  city  of  the  Ro- 
man provinces;  it  was  in  fact 
for  along  time,  the  most  pow- 
erful city  of  the  East.  It  was 
famous  among  the  Jews  for 
the  jus  civitatis,  or  right  of 
citizenship, which  Seleucus  had 
given  to  them  in  common  with 
the  Greeks  and  Macedonians. 
This  consideration,  involving 
privileges,  dear  to  their  hearts, 
rendered  this  place  so  desirable 


to  the  early  Christians,  who 
were  at  first  considered  as  a 
sect  of  Jews,  and  who,  there- 
fore, could  here  perform  public 
worship,  and  enjoy  all  religious 
privileges  without  any  persecu- 
tion or  disturbance.  This  also 
accounts  for  the  zeal  of  the 
apostles  in  introducing  the 
gospel  here.  The  present  state 
of  this  city  is  thus  described 
by  Mr.  Volney.  "This  city," 
saith  he,  "anciently  renowned 
for  the  luxury  of  its  inhabi- 
tants, is  now  no  more  than  a 
ruinous  town,  whose  houses, 
built  with  mud  and  straw,  and 
whose  narrow  and  miry  streets, 
exhibit  every  appearance  of 
misery  and  wretchedness.  It 
is  situated  on  the  southern 
bank  of  the  Orontes,  at  the  ex- 
tremity of  an  old  and  decayed 
bridge,  and  is  covered  to  the 
south  by  a  mountain,  upon  the 
slope  of  which  a  wall  was  built 
by  the  Crusaders.  The  dis- 
tance between  the  present  town 
and  mountain,  may  be  about 
four  hundred  yards,  which 
space  is  occupied  by  gardens 
and  heaps  of  rubbish,  but  pre- 
sents nothing  interesting." 
Such  is  the  condition  of  the 
celebrated  Antioch.  So  tran- 
sient is  the  glory  of  this  world. 
Lat.  35,  30.* 

Antioch  of  Pisidia,  mention- 
ed in  Acts  xiii,  14.  Si.  Paul 
and  Barnabas  preached   here, 


ANT 


APH 


and  the  Jews,  concerned  to  see 
that  some  of  the  Gentiles  had 
received  the  gospel,  raised  a 
sedition  against  St.  Paul  and 
Barnabas,  and  obligec\  them  to 
leave  the  city.     Lat.  38,  50. 

ANTIPATRIS,(Actsxxiii, 
31,)  a  town  of  Palestine  on  the 
border  of  Samaria,  anciently 
called  Caphar-Saba,  according 
to  Josephus,  but  of  this  Jerome 
expresses  strong  doubts;  it  was 
named  Antipatris  by  Herod 
the  Great,  in  honor  of  his  father 
Antipater.  It  was  situated  in 
a  pleasant  valley,  near  the 
mountains,  in  the  way  from 
Jerusalem  to  Cassarea.  Jose- 
phus places  it  about  seventeen 
miles  from  Joppa;  it  was  42 
from  Jerusalem,  and  26  from 
Ceesarea.  Here  Paul  and  his 
guard  made  a  halt  on  their  way 
to  Caesarea.     Lat.  32,  19. 

ANTONIA,  a  tower  or  for. 
tress  of  Jerusalem,  situated  to- 
wards the  west  and  north  angle 
of  the  temple,  and  built  by 
Herod  the  Great  in  honor  of 
his  friend  M.  Anthony.  It 
stood  upon  an  eminence  cut 
steep  on  all  sides,  and  enclosed 
with  a  wall,  three  hundred  cu- 
bits high.  It  was  built  in  the 
form  of  a  square  tower,  with  a 
tower  at  each  corner  to  defend 
it;  there  was  a  bridge  or  vault, 
whereby  a  communication  was  • 
kept  up  between  this  tower  and 
the  temple,  so  that  as  the  tem- 


ple was  in  some  sort  the  cita- 
del of  the  town,  the  tower  of 
Antonia  was  the  citadel  of  the 
temple.  The  Romans  gener- 
ally kept  a  garrison  in  this 
tower;  and  from  thence  it  was, 
that  the  tribune  ran  with  his 
soldiers  to  rescue  St.  Paul  out 
of  the  hands  of  the  Jews,  (Acts 
xxi,  31,  32,)  who  had  seized 
him  in  the  temple,  designing  to 
put  him  to  death. 

ANUA,  a  village  fifteen 
miles  from  Neapolis,  otherwise 
called  Shechem,  in  the  way  to 
Jerusalem. 

APAMEA,  a  city  of  Syria 
on  the  Orontes,  probably  the 
same  place  called  Shepham. 

Apamea,  a  city  of  Phrygia; 
this  city  was  called  Kibotos, 
the  ark,  and  on  its  medals  is  an 
ark,  with  a  man  receiving  a 
dove  flying  to  him,  and  part  of 
the  inscription  is  Noey  hence 
it  has  been  supposed,  that  the 
ark  rested  near  this  place. 

APHvEREMA,  a  place, 
mentioned  1  Macab.  xi,  34, 
taken  from  Samaria,  and  add- 
ed to  Judah,  being  so  called 
because  its  name  signifies  in 
the  Greek  language,  a  thing 
taken  from  another.  It  may 
here  be  observed  with  advan- 
tage to  the  reader,  that  the 
books  of  the  Maccabees,  being 
written  in  Greek,  several  names 
are  varied  according  to  the 
Greek  form.     This  being  re- 


API! 


APP 


collected  may  sometimes  pre- 
vent mistakes.  If  the  place  be 
not  found  in  this  Gazetteer  un- 
der one  name,  probably  it  may 
under  another.  Thus  Aecaron 
is  the  same  with  Ekron,  Ama- 
this  is  the  same  as  Hamath, 
Gazara  with  Gozor,  Bethsura 
with  Bethshur,  Bosora  with  Bo- 
sor,  &c.  Sometimes  the  same 
place  has  different  names,  or 
seems  to  have,  from  the  mis- 
takes of  copyists,  or  a  change 
in  the  pronunciation  in  the 
lapse  of  ages,  as  well  as  the 
different  terminations  of  the 
languages  into  which  the  word 
is  translated.  ThusZabadeans, 
which  in  Maccabees  is  said  to 
be  the  name  of  some  Arabians, 
is  probably  a  corrupt  reading 
for  Nabatheans,  and  so  of  other 
names,  noticed  in  the  margin 
of  our  bibles. 

APHARSACHITES,  or 
Apharsathchites,  people 
sent  by  the  kings  of  Assyria 
to  inhabit  the  country  of  Sa- 
maria, in  the  room  of  those 
Israelites,  who  had  been  re- 
moved beyond  the  Euphrates, 
Ezra  v,  6.  They  with  the 
other  Samaritans  opposed  the 
rebuilding  of  the  walls  of  Je- 
rusalem. 

APHEK,  a   city   of  Syria 
near  Libanus,  on  the  banks  of 
the  Adonis,  between  Heliopo 
lis  and  By  bios.    Probably  it  is 


the  same  mentioned  by  Paul 
Lucas,  which  has  been  swal- 
lowed up  in  a  lake,  nine  miles 
in  circuit,  in  which  may  be 
seen  several  houses  entire  un- 
der the  water.  The  ancients 
say,  that  the  soil  in  this  region 
was  bitumenous,  which  con- 
firms those  who  suppose,  that 
the  earth  under  the  city  being 
consumed,  the  city  sunk  at 
once,  and  a  lake  has  risen  over 
it.    1  Kings  xx,  26. 

Aphek^hz  name  of  several  oth- 
er cities  mentioned  inScripture. 
1.  Aphek  in  the  tribe  of  Judah 
where  the  Philistines  encamp- 
ed, when  the  ark  was  brought 
from  Shiloh,  which  was  taken 
by  them  in  battle,  1  Sam.  iv, 
1,  2,  &c.  It  is  thought  to  be 
the  same  with  Aphekah,  men- 
tioned in  Josh,  xv, 53.  2.  Aphek, 
mentioned  in  the  valley  of Jez- 
reel,  where  the  Philistines  en- 
camped, while  Saul  and  his  ar- 
my were  near  Jezreel,  upon  th^ 
mountains  of  GJlboa,  1  Sam. 
xxix,  1,  &c.  3.  Aphek,  a  city 
belonging  to  the  tribe  of  Asher, 
and  the  country  of  the  Sidoni- 
ans;  Josh,  xix,  30,  and  xiii,  4. 
APPII-FORUM,  a  place  in 
Italy  about  50  miles  from 
Rome;  so  called  from  the  same 
Appius,  who  gave  name  to  the 
Appian  way.     Lat.  41,  25. 

APPOLONIA,    a  city   of 
Macedonia  through  which  and 


ARA 


ARA 


Amphipolis,  St.  Paul  passed 
in  his  way  to  Thessalonica, 
Acts,  xvii,  1;  where  Cesar 
Augustus  learned  the  Greek 
language.  The  name  also  of 
a  city  in  the  west    of  Canaan. 

AR,  Ariel  of  Moab,  or 
Rabbath  Moab,  Numb, 
xxi,  28;  Isa.  xxix,  1;  Deut. 
iii,  11,  &c.  The  capital  of  the 
Moabites  situared  upon  the 
river  Anion  which  divided  it 
in  two.  St  Jerome,  says  that 
this  city  was  entirely  destroyed 
by  an  earthquake,  while  he  was 
a  young  man. 

'ARABIA,  desert  of,  that 
desolate  region  in  which  the 
Israelites  wandered  forty  years, 
after  leaving  Egypt.  The 
Mahometans  reduce  these  forty 
years  to  forty  days.  One  of 
their  poets  sarcastically  says  of 
the  Jews,  they  are  always  wan- 
dering in  a  desert. 

ARABIA,  a  celebrated 
country  of  Asia,  bounded  west 
by  the  Red  -Sea,  and  the  isth- 
mus of  Suez;  north-east  by  the 
Euphrates,  which  divides  it 
from  Diarbeker,  the  ancient 
Mesopotamia;  east  by  the  gulf 
of  Persia  and  Ormus,  and 
south  by  the  Indian  ocean. 
On  the  north  this  country  runs 
up  to  an  angle,  about  100  miles 
east  of  Palmyra,  which  is  not 
included  in  Arabia.  Arabia 
lies  between  Lat  12,    30,  and 


31,  30  north,  and  Long.  34, 
and  59  east,  being  1800  miles 
in  length  from  the  strait  of  Ba- 
belmandel  to  the  opposite  point 
on  the  Euphrates.  The  me- 
dial breadth  is  about  800  miles. 
From  the  proximity  of  the  Eu- 
phrates to  the  Mediterranean, 
Arabia  is  a  peninsula;  and  one 
of  the  largest  in  the  world. 
Arabia  Proper,  however  is 
more  narrow,  including  lit* le 
more  than  was  anciently  called 
Arabia  Felix.  We  learn  from 
scripture,  that  the  first  division 
of  this  country  was.  into  Ara- 
bak,  and  Kedem  the  first  sig- 
nifying west,  the  latter  east,  de- 
noting the  situation  of  the  two 
regions.  More  than  two  thous- 
and years  ago,  Ptolemy  divid- 
ed the  peninsula  into  three 
parts,  Arabia  Petrea,  Arabia 
Deserta,  Arabia  Felix. 

Arabia  Petrea  was  bound- 
ed by  Syria  and  Arabia  Deser- 
ta, on  the  east;  by  Egypt,  or 
the  isthmus  of  Suez,  which 
separates  A^ia  from  Africa, 
on  the  west;  by  Palestine,  the 
lake  Asphaltites,  and  Ccelo- 
Syria  on  the  north,  and  by  Ara- 
bia Felix  on  the  south.  This 
tract  admitted  of  little  cultiva- 
tion, being  in  great  part  cov- 
ered with  sand  and  rocks, 
with  here  and  there  a  fruitful 
spot.  The  metropolis  was 
Petra,  by   the  Syrians    called 


ARA 


AKA 


Rakam,  and  by  the  scriptures 
Joktheel. 

Arabia  Desertay  was  bound- 
ed on  the  north  by  the  Euphra- 
tes, which  separated  it  from 
Mesopotamia;  on  the  west  by 
Syria,  Judea,  and  Arabia  Pc- 
trea;  on  the  east  by  a  ridge  of 
mountains,  which  separated  it 
from  Babylonia  and  Chaldea; 
on  the  south  by  Arabia  Felix, 
from  which  it  was  separated 
by  a  ridge  of  hills.  By  far  the 
greatest  part  of  this  section  of 
the  country,  as  well  as  the  pre- 
ceding, was  a  lonesome  desert, 
diversified  only  with  plains  of 
Siind  and  mountains  of  rocks. 
Unless  sometimes  at  the  equi- 
noxes, these  regions  were  nev- 
er refreshed  with  a  shower  of 
rain.  The  few  vegetables, 
which  struggled  for  existence, 
were  scorched  by  burning  suns, 
which  drank  up  the  scanty 
dews  of  the  night.  Hot  pois- 
onous winds  are  often  fatal  to 
travellers.  The  most  intolera- 
ble is  called  Samiel.  A  thick 
haze  gives  notice  of  its  ap- 
proach; at  sight  of  which  the 
people  throw  themselves  with 
their  faces  on  the  ground,  and 
so  continue  till  the  gale  is  over, 
which  sometimes  is  only  mo- 
mentary in  its  continuance. 
Those,  who  neglect  this  pre- 
caution, suffer  instant  death. 
The  immense  fields  of  burning 
sands,  when  roused  by  the 
6 


howling   winds  of  the  desert, 
are    agitated    like   the    rolling 
billows    of    the    ocean;    they 
rise  into  hills   and   mountains; 
whole     caravans,     men     and 
beasts,    are   buried   and     lost. 
In  this  country  the    tribes  of 
Israel  wandered    forty   years; 
manna  was  rained  from  heav- 
en for  their  support;  for  here 
are   no  pastures     to    support 
flocks  or  herds;    here   are   no 
vallies    of  corn;    no  trees    of 
fruit;  no  olive  yards,  nor  vines, 
blushing  with  grapes.      All  is 
a  lonesome   desert,    a   region 
of  desolation.      No   spacious 
inn,    no    hospitable    cottage, 
welcomes  the  weary  traveller; 
at  night  the  sand  is  his  couch; 
the  heavens  are   his  covering, 
the  provision  in  his  sack,  and 
the  water  in  his  bottle,  are  his 
only  support;  his   camels   his 
only   protectors.       When   he 
has  prepared  his  frugal   meal, 
the  Arab  ascends  the  highest 
hill,  which  is   near,  and   calls 
to  all  his  brethren  of  the  faith- 
ful to  cotne  and  partake  with 
him,   though  probably,  not   a 
soul  is  within  a  hundred  miles. 
This   custom    might    have  its 
origin  in  humanity  and    kind- 
ness;  probably,    sometimes   a 
poor  starving  brother  might  be 
discovered  among  the  burning 
sands.       Wells  and    fountains 
of  water  are  rarely  found;  still 
in  these  regions  of  barrenness 


ARA 


ARA 


are  scattered  oases  of  fruitful 
land,  like  islands  in  the  ocean. 
These,  are  delighfnl  spots  to 
the  miserable  Arab.  Here  he 
encamps,  till  he  has  consumed 
every  thing,  which  the  soil  has 
produced,,  and  then  he  ven- 
tures across  the  Frightful  des- 
ert to  find  another  verdant 
field. 

Arabia  Felix  was  bounded 
on  the  north  by  the  two  coun-. 
tries  just  described,  on  the 
south  by  the  Red  Sea;  on  the 
east  and  west,  by  part  of  that 
sea,  the  Arabian  and  Persian 
gulfs.  In  this  region  are  Mec- 
ca and  Medina.  The  soil  is  ex- 
cellent, producing  balm  ofGil- 
ead,  manna,  myrrh,  cassia,aioes, 
frankincense,  spikenard;  also 
cinnamon,  pepper,  cardamum, 
oranges,  lemons,  pomegranites, 
figs,  and  other  fruits.  Its  coffee 
and  dates  are  the  best  in  the 
world;  here  is  but  little  wood, 
and  few  trees  of  timber.  A 
stranger  first  reaching  these 
shores  would  doubt  the  pio- 
priety  of  the  name,  given  to 
the  country;  but  as  he  advan- 
ces into  the  central  parts,  the 
woods  dropping  balm,  the  ver- 
dure of  the  hills,  the  luxuries 
of  the  vales,  the  soft  breezes  of 
cassia,  and  other  perfumes, 
with  the  fruits  of  every  climate, 
inviting  his  taste,  soon  con- 
vince him  that  he  is  in  Arabia 
the  Happy. 


We  have  no  certain  account, 
when  the  above  countries  were 
first  peopled;  most  probably, 
however,  it  was  soon  after  the 
flood.  The  Oriental  histori- 
ans divide  the  Arabs  into  two 
classes,  the  old,  lost  Arabs,  and 
the  present.  Concerning  the 
former,  nothing  has  come  down 
to  us,  but  the  names  of  several 
tubes,  and  a  number  ot  re- 
markable traditions.  The  pres- 
ent Arabs  descended  from 
Kahtan,  the  same  as  Joktan, 
the  son  of  Eber,  a  descendant 
of  Ishmael.  Ishmael  and  his 
mother  Hagar,  having  been 
dismissed  from  the  family  of 
Abram  entered  into  the  wilder- 
ness of  Paran,  (see  Paran.) 
The  sacred  historian  also  in- 
forms us,  that  while  he  resided 
in  the  wilderness,  he  married 
an  Egyptian  woman.  The 
Arabian  writers  say  that  he 
also  married  the  daughter  of 
Modad  king  of  Hejaz,  lineally 
descended  from  Jorham,  the 
founder  of  that  kingdom.  By 
the  Egyptian,  he  was  probably 
the  father  of  the  Scenites,  or 
wild  Arabs. 

The  present  inhabitants  of 
the  country  are  divided  into 
such,  as  dwell  in  cities,  and 
those  who  live  in  the  fields. 
These  last  live  in  tents,  in 
desert  places,  and  are  called  Be- 
doweens,  being  much  more 
honest  than  those  in  the  cities. 


ARA 


ARA 


The   Arabs  arc,  also,  divided 
into  pagans  and  Mahometans. 

These  last  are  the  people,  who 
have  in  days  past  conquered  a 
great  part  of  Asia,  Africa,  and 
Earope.  These  were  the  foun- 
ders of  the  four  great  monar- 
chies of  the  Turkish,  Persian, 
Morocco,  and  Mogul  empires. 
The  Arabs  have  camels  and 
the  finest  horses;  in  some  parts 
arc  lions,  tigers,  wolves,  bears, 
and  jackalls.  It  is  well  known, 
that  the  Arabians  put  the  great- 
est value  on  their  horses.  Of 
these  they  have  two  races,  one 
of  which  are  said  to  derive 
their  origin  from  the  studs  of 
king  Solomon.  However  this 
may  be,  they  are  capable  of  the 
greatest  fatigues,  and  can  pass 
whole  days  without  food.  They 
are  said  also  to  show  astonish- 
ing courage  in  the  field  of  bat- 
tle, and  it  is  even  asserted,  that 
when  a  horse  of  this  race  finds 
himself  wounded  and  unable 
much  longer  to  bear  his  rider,, 
he  retires  from  the  field,  and 
conveys  him  to  a  secure  place. 
If  the  rider  fall  on  the  ground, 
his  horse  will  remain  with  him, 
and  neigh  till  assistance  comes. 
They  arc  brought  up  in  their 
tents  with  the  family,  and  are 
carefully  tended,  and  as  fondly 
caressed,  as  their  children. 
The  modern  Arabs  estimate 
their  wealth,  by  the  number  of 
their  camels.  Possessing  these, 


they  want  nothing,  and  fear  noth 
ing.  If  attacked  b\  an  enemy,  the 
Arab  flies  fifty  leagues  into  the 
desert  with  his  camels;  all  the 
armies  of  Bonaparte,  would  per- 
ish in  pursuit  of  him.  The 
population  of  this  country  is 
very  uncertain;  some  learned 
writers  have  supposed  it  to  be 
17,000,000. 

The  heat  of  this  country,  as 
in  Turkey,  and  all  over  Arabia, 
makes  ii  pleasant  for  the  inhab- 
itants to  sleep  in  the  open  air. 
Hence  their  houses,  which  are 
generally  but  one  story  high, 
are  flat  on  the  top.  This  prac- 
tice may  account  for  the  early 
knowledge  these  nations  ob- 
tained of  astronomy,  and  ex- 
plain several  passages  of  scrip- 
ture. The  different  rooms  of 
their  houses  have  no  commu- 
nication, excepting  with  the 
hall.  Their  kitchens  and  office 
houses  are  separate  from  tiie 
mansion  house.  Their  furni- 
ture consists  chiefly  of  carpets; 
their  beds  are  two  thick  cotton 
quilts. 

Their  mosques,  like  our 
meeting  houses,  are  buildings 
for  religious  purposes;  they  are 
square,  and  of  stone,  and  much 
alike  in  all  Mahometan  coun- 
tries. Before  the  great  door  is 
a  court,  paved  with  marble, 
having  low  galleries  round  it; 
the  roof  is  supported  by  marble 
pillars.      These    galleries   are 


AKA 


ARA 


places  of  ablution,  before  the 
people  enter  the  mosque.  Near 
every  mosque  are  six  high 
towers,  or  steeples,  called  min- 
arets, each  of  which  has  three 
little  open  galleries,  one  above 
another.  These  steeples  and 
mosques,  are  covered  with  lead, 
and  adorned  with  gilding,  and 
other  ornaments.  From  these, 
the  people  are  called  to  prayer, 
not  by  a  bell,  but  by  officers 
appointed  for  the  purpose. 
Near  most  of  the  mosques  is 
the  tomb  of  the  founder,  and  a 
place  of  entertainment  for 
strangers,  with  apartments  for 
prayer  and  reading  the  Koran. 
No  man  is  allowed  to  enter  a 
mosque  without  pulling  off  his 
shoes  and  stockings.  Women 
are  never  allowed  to  enter  these 
sacred  buildings. 

In  former  times  the  Arabs 
were  celebrated  for  their  pro- 
gress in  the  sciences;  but  they 
are  now  far  from  being  a  learn- 
ed people.  Yet  education  is 
not  entirely  neglected.  Many 
of  the  common  people  learn  to 
read  and  write.  Girls  are  in- 
structed apart  by  women.  In 
the  chief  cities  are  colleges  for 
astronomy,  medicine,  philoso- 
phy, and  astrology.  In  Arabia 
the  knowledge  of  medicine  is 
at  a  low  ebb. 

The  Arabians  inherit  the 
land  of  their  fathers,  the  first 
proprietors  of  the  country.     It 


Was  prophesied  in  scripture 
that  they  should  be  invincible, 
and  though  apparently  a  de- 
fenceless people,  they  have 
never  been  subdued  by  any  in- 
vader. Their  millions  of  in- 
habitants are  so  many  witnes- 
ses for  the  truth  of  revelation. 
Every  man's  hand  is  against 
them,  and  theirs  against  every 
man's,  yet  they  shall  dwell  se- 
curely among  their  brethren. 
The  body  of  the  nation  has  es- 
caped the  yoke  .of  the  most 
powerful  monarchies.  The 
arms  of  Sesostris  and  Cyrus, 
of  Pompey  and  Caesar,  of  Tra- 
jan and  Bonaparte,  have  never 
achieved  the  conquest  of  Ara- 
bia. The  present  sovereign  of 
the  Turks  may  exercise  a 
shadow  of  jurisdiction;  but  his 
pride  is  reduced  to  solicit  the 
friendship  of  a  people,  whom  it 
is  dangerous  to  provoke,  and 
fruitless  to  attack.  Their  do- 
mestic fueds,  are  suspended  on 
the  approach  of  a  common  en- 
emy; and  in  their  last  hostili- 
ties, against  the  Turks  the  car- 
avan of  Mecca  was  attacked 
and  pillaged  by  four  score 
thousand  of  the  confederates. 
When  they  advance  to  battle 
the  hope  of  victory  is  in  the 
front;  and  in  the  rear,  the  as- 
surance of  retreat.  Their  horses 
and  camels,  which  in  eight  or 
ten  days  can  perform  a  march 
of  four  or  five  hundred  miles. 


ARA 


ARA 


disappear  before  the  conqueror; 
the  secret  waters  of  the  desert 
elude  his  search,  and  his  victo- 
rious troops  are  consumed  with 
hunger,  thirst,  and  fatigue,  in 
pursuit  of  an  invincible  foe, 
who  scorns  his  efforts,  and 
safely  reposes  in  the  heart  of 
the  burning  solitude.  The 
Arabs  are  robbers  on  the  land, 
and  pirates  on  the  sea;  they 
have  this  character  from  the 
sands  of  Morocco  to  the  shores 
of  Madagascar,  from  the  banks 
of  the  Indus  to  the  plains  of 
Gambia,  yet  they  are  remarka- 
ble for  their  hospitality.  They 
were  the  most  ancient  civilized 
people.  The  merchants  of 
Tyre  had  explored  the  Islands 
of  Britain,  before  the  Chinese 
had  discovered  Japan.  When 
the  literati  of  India  or  China 
can  show  us  a  volume  as  an- 
cient as  the  writings  of  Moses, 
they  may  with  more  confidence 
boast  of  their  high  antiquity. 
The  Arabs  are  in  general  Ma- 
hometans, some  of  them  are 
Pagans.  This  cbuntry  was  the 
birth  place  of  Mahomet;  he 
taught  the  necessity  of  believ- 
ing in  God,  the  existence  of 
angels,  the  resurrection,  and 
future  judgment,  and  the  doc- 
trine of  absolute  decrees.  The 
duties  which  he  enjoined  were 
prayer  five  times  a  day.  fasting, 
charity,  and  a  pilgrimage  to 
Mecca.    Their  religion  forbids 


the  use  of  images,  though  an- 
ciently they  were  idolaters,  and 
the  same  rites,  which  are  now 
practised  by  Mahometan's  were 
invented  and  practised  by  idol- 
aters. At  an  awful  distance 
they  cast  away  their  garments; 
seven  times  with  hasty  steps 
they  encircled  the  temple  of 
Mecca;  built  as  thev  said  b\ 
Abram  and  Ishmael,  and  kissed 
the  black  stone  which  they  be- 
lieved was  brought  from  heaven 
by  Gabriel;  seven  times  they 
visited  and  adored  the  adjacent 
mountains;  seven  times  they 
threw  stones  into  the  valley  of 
Mina,  and  the  pilgrimage  was 
then  concluded,  as  at  the  pres- 
ent day,  by  a  sacrifice  of  sheep 
and  camels,  and  the  burial  of 
their  hair  and  nails  in  conse- 
crated ground.  The  temple 
was  adorned  or  defiled,  with 
360  idols  of  men,  eagles,  lions, 
and  antelopes.  Most  conspic- 
uous was  the  statue  of  Hebal, 
of  red  agate,  holding  in  his 
hand  seven  arrows  without 
heads  or  feathers,  the  instru- 
ments and  figures  of  profane  di- 
vination. The  devotion  of  the 
ruder  ages  was  content  with  a 
pillar  or  a  tablet,  and  the  rocks 
of  the  desert,  were  hewn  into 
gods  or  altars  in  imitation  of 
the  black  stone  at  Mecca. 
From  Japan  to  Peru,  all  round 
the  globe,  the  use  of  sacrifices 
has  prevailed,  and  the  votary 


ARA 


ARA 


has  expressed  his  gratitude  or 
his  fear  by  destroying  or  con- 
suming in  honor  of  the  gods, 
the  most  precious  of  their  gifts. 
The  life  of  man  is  the  most 
precious  oblation  to  deprecate 
any  calamity,  therefore  the  al- 
tars of  Phoenicia  and  Egypt,  of 
Rome  and  Carthage,  have  been 
polluted  with  human'  gore. 
The  Arabs  long  continued  the 
practice.  In  the  third  century, 
a  boy  was  annually  sacrificed 
by  the  tribe  of  the  Dumatians; 
and  a  royal  captive  was  impi- 
ously slaughtered  by  the  prince 
of  the  Saracens.  The  father 
of  Mahomet  himself,  was  de- 
voted to  the  altar  by  a  rash 
vow;  and  with  difficulty  ran- 
somed by  a  hundred  camels. 
The  Arabs,  like  the  Jews,  ab- 
stain from  swine's  flesh,  and 
circumcise  their  children. 

The  Banians  are  a  sect  toler- 
ated here.  They  profess  to  love 
very  thing,  which  breathes, 
to  assist  every  tiling,  which  is 
in  pain,  to  abhor  the  spilling  of 
blood,  and  to  abstain  from  food, 
which  has  enjoyed  life.  Milk, 
butter,  cheese,  rice,  and  vege- 
tables, are  their  only  food.  By 
their  dress,  which  is  a  white 
robe,  and  rose  colored  turban, 
they  are  known  to  the  birds, 
which  instead  of  flying,  flock 
round  them  to  be  fed.  The 
Europeans  trust  them  to  do  all 
their  business  with  the  Arabs, 


and   they    are    always    found 
honest. 

Mecca  is  the  principal  city, 
and  is  supported  by  the  resort 
of  pilgrims,  70,000  of  whom, 
visit  the  place  every  year.  The 
buildings  are  mean.  It  is  34 
miles  from  Judda.  Lat.  21,45; 
long.  40,55  east.  It  is  an  in- 
land town  surrounded  by  hills, 
a  day's  journey  from  the  Red 
Sea.  On  one  of  the  hills  is  a 
cave,  where  they  suppose  Ma* 
hornet  retired  for  his  devotions, 
and  where  he  received  the  Ko- 
ran from  Heaven,  brought  by- 
Gabriel.  It  is  the  holy  city  of 
Mahometans;  no  Christian  is 
allowed  to  enter  it.  The  tem- 
ple of  Mecca  has  42  doors,  and 
is  said  to  be  nearly  670  yards 
in  length,  and  570  in  breadth. 
In  the  centre  is  a  paved  court, 
on  all  sides  of  which  are  cells, 
for  those  who  consecrate  them- 
selves to  a  life  of  devotion. 
The  Caaba,  in  the  middle  of 
the  temple,  is  20  paces  square, 
and  24  feet  high,  covered  with 
rich  silk,  and  the  centre  is  a- 
dorned  with  large  letters  of 
gold.  The  door  is  covered 
with  plates  of  silver,  before  it 
is  a  curtain  thick  Avith  gold  em- 
broidery. This  sacred  Caaba 
is  the  principal  object  of  the 
pilgrim's  devotion,  and  is  open 
but  two  days  in  six  weeks,  one 
for  the  men,  and  one  for  the 
women.     Its  walls  are  marble. 


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hung  round  with  silk,  and 
lighted  by  four  silver  lamps. 
Twelve  paces  from  the  Caaba, 
they  pretend  to  show  Abra- 
ham's Sepulchre.  After  per- 
forming their  devotions,  the 
pilgrims  retire  to  a  hill,  where, 
after  various  ceremonies,  they 
are  pronounced  Kadgies  and 
saints,  and  suppose  heaven  is 
sure.  The  next  morning  they 
go  two  miles  from  the  city, 
where  they  suppose  Abram 
offered  up  Isaac.  Here  they 
pitch  their  tents,  and  throw 
seven  small  stones  against  a  lit- 
tle stone  building.  This  is  done 
in  defiance  of  the  devil.  Those 
who  are  able,  then  make  an 
entertainment,  to  which  the 
poor  are  admitted. 

In  the  Caaba  is  one  relic, 
sacred  as  the  cross  is  to  the 
Catholics.  It  is  a  black  stone, 
brought  by  Gabriel  from  Heav- 
en, for  the  construction  of  this 
edifice.  This  stone,  they  say, 
was  first  of  a  clear,  white  col- 
or, dazzling  the  eyes  of  people 
at  the  distance  of  four  day's 
journey.  By  weeping  so  long 
and  so  abundantly  for  the  sins 
of  mankind,  it  became  opaque, 
and  finally  black.  This  tender- 
hearted stone,  every  Mahome- 
tan must  kiss,  or  touch,  every 
time  he  goes  round  the  Caaba. 
They  suppose  the  temple  foun- 
ded on  the  stone  upon  which 
Jacob  rested  his  head  at  Bethel, 


when  flying  from  the  wrath  of 
Esau.  Aden  is  a  seaport  of 
Arabia  Felix,  on  a  coast  of  the 
Indian  Ocean.  It  has  a  good 
harbor,  and  was  formerly  a 
mart  of  extensive  commerce, 
which  is  now  inconsiderable. 
It  is  the  capital  of  a  country 
to  which  it  gives  name.  Me- 
dina is  a  small,  poor  place, 
surrounded  with  walls.  In 
the  temple  is  the  tomb  of  Ma- 
homet surrounded  by  curtains 
and  lighted  by  lamps. 

Muskat  is  a  considerable 
town  with  a  good  harbor,  much 
visited  by  English  ships.  Mo- 
cha on  the  Red  Sea,  near  the 
strait  of  Babelmandel,  has 
10,000  inhabitants,  and  is  cele- 
brated for  its  excellent  coffee. 

Arabia  is  governed  by  a 
number  of  petty  princes,  styled 
sheriffs,  or  imams,  king  and 
priest  are  united  in  the  same 
person.  These  are  absolute 
in  temporals  and  spirituals;  the 
succession  is  hereditary;  the 
laws  are  found  in  the  Koran 
and  its  commentaries* 

The  Tehama  is  a  region  of 
sand,  about  two  day's  journey 
in  breadth,  which  surrounds 
the  peninsula  of  Arabia,  from 
near  Suez  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Euphrates.  This  circle  of  des- 
olation was  probably  once  the 
bed  of  the  sea,  whi^h  is  still 
retreating.  Strata  of  salt,  and 
in  some  places  hills  of  salt,  are 


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scattered  round  these  dismal 
plains. 

Written  mountain,  or  moun- 
tain of  inscriptions,  is  a  moun- 
tain or  chain  of  mountains,  in 
the  wilderness  of  Sinai,  on 
which  for  a  great  extent,  the 
marble  of  which  the  mountain 
consists,  is  incribed  with  innu- 
merable characters,  reaching 
from  the  ground,  in  some  pla- 
ces to  the  height  of  twelve  or 
fourteen  feet.  In  the  third 
century  these  were  mentioned 
by  a  Greek,  and  some  of  them 
have  been  copied  by  Pocoke 
and  other  travellers.  The  vast 
number  of  these  inscriptions, 
the  place  in  which  they  are 
found,  and  of  course  the  length 
of  time  for  executing  the  task, 
have  induced  a  notion  by  no 
means  unnatural,  that  they  are 
the  work  of  the  Israelites,  dur- 
ing their  40  years  wandering 
in  the  wilderness.  The  trans- 
lator of  Vofney's  travels  as- 
cribes these  inscriptions  to  the 
pilgrims,  who  visit  mount  Si- 
nai. But  until  this  part  of  the 
world  shall  become  more  ac- 
cessible to  travellers,  nothing 
©f  certainty  will  be  obtained 
concerning  these  mountains. 

It  would  be  unpardonable 
not  to  mention  the  present  state 
of  the  Arabians.  About  the 
year  1758  Abd  al  Vehab  began 
to  promulgate  a  new  religion; 
though  at  first  he  kept  some 


terms  with  the  doctrines  of  the 
country,  he  soon  presented  a 
religion  entirely  new.  He  ac- 
cused the  whole  Mahometan 
church  of  being  infidels  and 
idolaters.  By  degrees  his  fol- 
lowers increased,  and  he  began 
to  destroy  the  shrines  of  Ma- 
homet, and  the  tombs  of  the 
saints,  and  before  his  death  his 
fame  and  his  riches  were  great. 
He  was  succeeded  by  his  son 
Mohammed,  who  being  blind 
remains  always  at  home,  but  he 
has  assu  med  the  title  of  supreme 
pontiff  of  their  religion;  and 
employs,  as  his  deputy,  AW1  al 
Azir,  and  though  eight}'  years 
of  age,  he  prophecies  that  he 
shall  not  die,  till  the  Waha by- 
religion  is  completely  establish- 
ed in  Arabia.  He  waits  on 
Mohammed  twice  in  a  week 
to  receive  his  orders.  All  Ara- 
bia, it  may  be  said,  is  subject 
to  their  control,  and  so  are  they 
reverenced  by  their  followers, 
that  when  going  to  battle,  they 
solicit  passports  to  the  porters 
of  paradise,  which  they  suspend 
round  their  necks,  and  then 
proceed  with  daring  valor.  Al- 
though the  Wahabees,  as  they 
are  called,  possess  the  power 
and  riches  of  the  country,  they 
retain  all  their  ancient  simplic- 
ity of  manners.  They  sit  on 
the  ground,  dates  are  their 
food,  and  a  cloak  is  their  bed 
and  their  cl@thing.     For  many 


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years  they  did  not  attack  the 
holy  cities;  but  finally  Aziz 
sent  a  large  army  into  the  sa- 
cred territory,  who  entered 
Mecca,  broke  down  the  tombs 
and  shrines,  and  proceeded  to 
Jedda  and  Oman.  A  brother 
of  the  Sultan  of  Muschat  has 
embraced  the  new  religion, 
and  compelled  the  people  of 
the  open  country  to  follow  his 
example,  the  city  and  its  envi- 
rons alone  remain  subject  to 
the  Sultan.  The  Wahabees 
have  conquered  the  tribe  of 
Outab,  celebrated  for  their  skill 
in  ship  building  and  navigation, 
and  are  forming  a  maritime 
force.  When  this  is  accom- 
plished, they  will  proceed  to 
the  conquest  of  Bossora,  and 
Bagdat,  and  thence  to  the 
gates  of  Constantinople.  They 
have  written  to  the  king  of 
Persia,  and  the  Turkish  em- 
peror, requiring  them  to  em- 
brace their  religion.  To  the 
king  of  Persia  their  general 
writes,  "We  fly  unto  God,  for 
refuge  against  the  accursed  Sa- 
tan. In  the  name  of  God,  the 
compassionate,  the  merciful. 

Prom  Abd  al  Aziz,  chief  of 
the  Mussulmans  to  Futteh  Aly 
Shah)  king  of  Persia. 

Since  the  death  of  the  proph- 
et Mohammed,  son  of  Abd 
Allah,  polytheism  and  idolatry 
have  been  promulgated  among 
his  followers.  For  instance,  at 
7 


Nerjif  and  Kerbela,  the  people 
fall  down  and  worship  the 
tombs  and  shrines,  which  are 
nu.de  of  earth  and  stone,  and 
address  their  prayers  to  the 
persons  contained  in  them.  As 
it  is  evident  to  me,  the  least  of 
the  servants  of  God,  that  such 
practices  cannot  be  agreeable 
to  our  lords  Ally  and  Hussein, 
I  have  used  every  exertion  to 
purify  our  holy  religion  from 
these  vile  superstitions,  and  by 
the  blessing  of  God  have  long 
since  eradicated  these  pollu- 
tions from  the  territory  of  Ne- 
jid,  and  the  greater  part  of  A- 
rabia;  but  those  who  attend  on 
the  mausole  i,  and  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Nejif,  being  blinded 
by  covetousness,  and  worldly 
interest,  encouraged  the  people 
to  a  continuation  of  these  prac- 
tices, and  would  not  comply 
with  my  exhortations.  I  there- 
fore sent  an  army  of  the  faith- 
ful, as  you  may  have  heard, 
to  punish  them  according  to 
their  deserts.  If  the  people  of 
Persia  are  addicted  to  these 
superstitions,  let  them  repent; 
for  whosoever  is  guilty  of  idol- 
atry and  polytheism  shall  in 
like v  manner  be  punished. 
Peace  be  to  him  who  obeys 
this  direction."  Travels  ofMir- 
za  Abu  Taleb,  translated  from 
the  Persian,  quoted  in  the  Chris- 
tian Observer,  Vol  X. — To  this 
I  add  the  following  from  the, 


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travels  of  lord  Valentia,  vol.  ii. 
The  Wahabees  entered  Mecca 
on  the  27th  of  April  1803,  lev- 
elled eighty  of  the  tombs,  be- 
longing to  the  descendants  of 
Mahomet,  and  the  tomb  also 
of  his  wife  Kadiza,  plundered 
the  holy  places,  but  left  the 
Caaba.  Mecca  was,  however, 
repossessed  by  its  sherrifte.  In 
1804,  Medina,  the  second  city 
in  Arabia,  was  taken  by  the 
Wahabees,  who  plundered  all 
the  treasures,  which  had  been 
accumulating  there  for  ages  by 
the  contributions  of  the  faithful. 
The  tomb  of  Mahomet  him- 
self was  destroyed.  The  Arabs 
will  soon  be  united  under  one 
master.  Arabia  is  for  ever  lost 
to  the  Sultan,  who  consequent- 
ly is  no  longer  head  of  the  Ma- 
homedan  religion.  Mecca  can- 
not be  again  visited  by  pil- 
grims, according  to  the  order 
of  the  prophet.  The  mighty 
fabric  of  Mahometanism  must 
be  considered  as  having  passed 
away,  when  Suad  entered  Mec- 
ca in  1803.  Maundrel,  Shaw, 
Park,  Niebuhr,  Bruce,  Pocoke, 
Sonini,  Gibbon,  Modern  Geog. 
ARACEANS,  or  Arkites, 
people  descended  from  Arak, 
son  of  Canaan,  who  dwelt  in 
the  city  of  Acre,  near  the  foot 
of  Lebanon.  In  the  latter  times 
of  the  Jewish  Commonwealth, 
this  city  was  a  part  of  i\grippa's 
kingdom* 


ARACH,  a  city  of  Chaldea, 
built  by  Nimrod,  the  grandson 
of  Cash,  Gen.  x,  8.  This  in 
all  probability  is  the  town  of 
Aracea,  placed  by  Ptolemy  in 
the  Susiana  on  the  Tigris,  be- 
low its  confluence  with  the 
Euphrates,  Ammian  calls  it 
ArecKa.  From  this  city  the 
Arcetsean  plains,  which  abound 
with  Naptha,  and  sometimes 
take  fire,  derive  their  name. 
Probably  from  the  name  of  this 
place,  the  Arabians  have  named 
Iraca,  or  Irack,  a  large  province, 
of  Asia,  extending  along  the 
waters  of  the  Tigris,  a  distance 
of  ^twenty  days  journey,  its 
breadth  eleven  days  journey. 
The  capital  of  this  province 
under  the  Chaldeans  and  As- 
syrians was  Babylon;  since  it 
has  been  possessed  by  the 
Arabs,  Bagdat  has  been  the 
capital.  By  the  Greeks  and 
Latins,  this  province  was  cal- 
led Chaldea  and  Babylonia. 
Lat.  31,  10. 

ARAD,  a  city  lying  to  the 
south  of  Judah  and  the  land  of 
Canaan,  in  Arabia  Petrea.  The 
Israelites  having  advanced,  to- 
wards the  land  of  Canaan, 
Numb,  xxi,  1,  the  king  of 
Arad,  opposed  their  passage, 
defeated  them,  and  took  a  booty 
from  them.  But  they  devoted 
his  country,  as  a  thing  accurs- 
ed, and  destroyed  all  the  cities 
thereof,  as  soon  as  they  became 


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masters  of  the  land  of  Canaan, 
Numb,  xxxiii,  Arad  was  re- 
built and  Eusebius  places  it 
in  the  neighborhood  pf  Kades, 
at  the  distance  of  twenty  miles 
from  Hebron.  The  Israelites 
in  their  passage  through  the 
wilderness,  having  departed 
from  Scpher,  came  to  Arad, 
and  tlunce  to  Makkelath. 

ARADUS,  a  small  island 
on  the  coast  north  of  Tripchs. 
It  is  two  miles  and  a  half  from 
the  Main,  and  a  mile  in  com- 
pass. It  is  supposed  to  have 
been  settled  by  a  son  of  Ca- 
naan, since  we  find  the  Arva- 
dite  mentioned  among  his  de- 
scendants, it  is  also  thought 
to  be  the  same  place,  which  in 
the  book  of  Kings  and  in  Isa- 
iah is  called  Arpad,  or  Arphad 
or  Arvad.  "It  seemed  to  the 
eye,  said  Mr.  Maundrel,  to  be 
not  above  two  or  three  furlongs 
in  length,  and  to  be  filled  up 
with  tall  buildings,  like  castles. 
The  ancient  inhabitants  of  this 
little  island  were  once  famous 
navigators,  and  possessed  the 
continent  as  far  as  Gabala. 

ARAM,  is  frequently  ren- 
dered Syria,  yet  they  do  not 
mean  precisely  the  same  coun- 
try. In  some  ancient  writers 
Aram  includes  Mesopotamia, 
Hence  Jacob  in  Hebrew  is  cal- 
led an  Aramife,  though  in  our 
version,  a  Syrian.  In  Hosea 
xii,  12;  by  Syria  must  be  un- 
derstood Mesopotamia,  "Israel 


served  for  a  wife,  and  for  a 
wife  kept  sheep,"  which  was 
done  in  Mesopotamia*  Nor 
did  Aram  include  all  Syria,  but 
that  portion  which  was  settled 
by  the  nation  of  Aram,  that  is 
the  northern  and  eastern  parts. 
From  the  Hebrew  Aram  the 
old  Greek  writers  seem  to  have 
distinguished  the  inhabitants 
by  the  name  of  Arimi,  which 
we  find  in  Homer's  Iliad  ii, 
783.  The  name  Syri  or  Syrai 
is  not  found  in  that  ancient  poet. 
ARARAT,  a  famous  moun- 
tain in  Armenia,  on  which  No- 
ah's ark  is  said  to  have  rested 
after  the  deluge,  Gen.  viii,  4. 
It  is  affirmed,  but  without  any 
good  proof,  that  some  remains 
of  Noah's  ark  are  still  to  be 
seen  upon  the  top  of  this 
mountain.  John  Strue  in  his 
voyages,  assures  us,  that  he 
went  up  to  the  highest  part  of 
it,  and  that  an  hermit,  who 
abode  there,  declared  to  him, 
that  some  broken  pieces  of  the 
ark,  were  there  to  be  seen,  and 
at  the  same  time,  presented 
him  with  a  cross,  made  of  the 
wood  of  this  famous  vessel. 
But  M.  de  Tournefort,  who 
was  upon  the  spot,  assures  us 
that  there  was  nothing  of  the 
kind  to  be  seen,  that  he  found 
the  top  of  mount  Ararat  inac- 
cessible, both  by  reason  of  its 
great  height,  and  of  the  snow^ 
which  perpetually  covers  it. 
This     mountain    is    situated 


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twelve  leagues  east  of  Erivan, 
in  a  vast  plain,  having  no  other 
mountain  near  it  on  either  side. 
Josephus,  says,  that  the  remains 
of  Noah's  ark  were  still  to  be 
seen  in  his  time,  in  the  canton 
of  Abdiabene,  called  CrsroK*, 
a  country  remarkable  for  pro- 
ducing great  plenty  of  cinna- 
mon. 

That  part  of  the  mountains 
of  Ararat,  on  which  the  ark 
rested  is  called  by  many  of 
the  eastern  nations,  Ar-uag, 
or  Parmak-Dagh,  the  finger 
mountain,  because  it  stands  up- 
right by  itself,  like  a  finger  by 
itself,  it  is  so  high,  as  to  be 
seen  at  the  distance  of  ten  days 
journey,  according  to  the  stages 
of  the  caravan;  the  city  of  Tau- 
ris  is  near  this  mount.  Tav- 
ernier  says,  there  are  many 
monasteries  upon  mount  Ara- 
rat, that  the  Armenians  called 
it  Meresoussar,  because  the 
ark  stopped  there.  It  is,  as  it 
were,  taken  oft",  from  the  other 
mountains  of  Armenia,  which 
make  a  long  chain,  and  from 
the  rriiddle  to  the  top  of  it,  is 
often  covered  with  snow  for 
three  or  four  months  in  a  year. 
There  are  some  authors,  how- 
ever, that  are  of  opinion  that 
the  ark  rested  on  a  mountain 
near  Apamea  in  Phrygia. 

John  Shuir,  however,  affirms 
that  he  ascended  mount  Ararat 
in   Armenia    and    that    some 


pieces  of  the  ark  were  then  to 
be  seen.  It  is  also,  well  known, 
that    in    the   vicinity    of   this 
mountain  were  preserved  more 
authentic  accounts  of  the  ark, 
than  in  almost  any  other   part 
of   the    world.      The   region 
about    Ararat    was   esteemed 
among  the  ancients   as   a   re- 
markably central  situation;  not 
only  well  calculated  to  supply 
its  own  inhabitants;  but  for  the 
migration  of  colonies  to  other 
parts  of  the   world.     The  re- 
gion is  very  fruitful,  especially 
in  the  part,  where  it  is  reported 
the  Patriarch  made  his  descent 
from  the  summit  of  the  moun- 
tain.    This  country  is  also  re- 
markably   elevated.       Such  a 
country    must    be    peculiarly 
eligible,  immediately  after  the 
flood,  being  the  soonest   dry, 
and  of  course  habitable.     This 
mountain  has  in  all  ages  since 
the  deluge    retained  the  name 
of   Ararat.     Is  not   this  very 
conclusive  evidence?  Tourne- 
fort,  who  has  particularly    de- 
scribed this  mountain,  though 
he  was  not  successful  in  reach- 
ing the   top,   says   it   consists 
chiefly  in  free  stone,  or  calca- 
reous sand  stone.      It  is  a  de- 
tached mountain  in    the    form 
of  a  sugar  loaf,  in  the  midst  of 
an  extensive  plain,  and  has  two 
summits.     The  lowest  is  most 
sharp,  the  highest,  which  is  sup- 
posed to  be  that  on  which  the 


ARG 


ARG 


ark  rested,  lies  north-west' from 
the  other,  and  raises  itself 
far  above  all  the  mountains  of 
the  country,  and  is  generally 
white  with  snow. 

Various  ancient  writers  as- 
sert the  ruins  of  the  ark   were 
visible  in  their  day.     We  have 
room  to  mention    only  a  few. 
One  relates,  that  in   his  time 
people   carried    about     them, 
pieces  oi'  wood  taken  from  the 
ark,    as  an  amulet  or  chain), 
against  accidents  «id  diseases. 
Berosus,     who     wrote    2,000 
years  ago,  says  that  in  his  day, 
they  scraped  off  the  pitch  as  a 
charm.     Some  of  the  Christian 
fathers  declare,  that  the  wreck 
of  the  ark  existed  in  their  time. 
In  the  second  centuiy    Theo- 
philus    makes    this    assertion. 
In  the  fourth  century,  the  elo- 
quent Chrysostom  speaks   of 
the  fact  as  though  it  were   fa- 
miliarly known  to  his  people. 
"Do  not,"  saith   he,  "do  not 
those  mountains  of  Armenia, 
bear    witness    to    the     truth? 
Those  mountains  where  the  ark 
first  rested;  and  are  not  the  re- 
mains preserved  there  to   this 
day."     Eusebius  and  Jerome 
both  assert  that  in  their   time 
pieces  of  the  ark  still  remained. 
ARGOB,  a  canton  lying  be- 
yond Jordan,  in  the  half  tribe 
of  Manasseh,  and  in  the  coun- 
try ot  Bashan,  one  of  the  most 
fruitful  on  the  other   side   of 


Jordan.  In  the  region  of  Argob 
there  were  sixty  cities  called 
Bashan-havoth  jair,  which  had 
very  high  walls  and  strong  gates, 
without  reckoning  many  villa- 
ges and  hamlets,  which  were 
not  enclosed,  Deut.  iii,  4,  14; 
and  1  Kings  iv,  13.  But  Ar- 
gob was  more  particularly  the 
name  of  the  capital  city  in  the 
region  of  Argob,  which  Euse- 
bius says  was  fifteen  miles 
west  from  Geresa.  Lat.  32,  57. 

Argob,  a  place  in  Samaria, 
near  the  royal  palace,  where 
Pekah,  son  of  Remaliah,  assas- 
sinated Peakaliah,  a  king  of 
Israel.  It  lay  in  the  tribe  of 
Manasseh;  it  was  a  fertile  tract 
of  country. 

ARIEL,  or  Ar,  the  capital 
city  of  Moab,  frequently  men- 
tioned in  scripture.  See  the 
article  Ar.  The  Arnon  ran 
through  the  place  and  divided 
it  into  two  towns. 

ARIEL,  is  likewise  taken 
for  the  altar  of  burnt  offerings, 
or  for  the  city  of  Jerusalem, 
Isa.  xxix,  1,  2,  7,  and  Ezek. 
xl,  15,  16;  Ariel,  literally 
signifies  a  Lion.  See  1  Chron. 
xi,  22;  Aquila  and  Symmachus 
say,  Ariel  signifies  the  Lion 
of  God,  and  suppose  it  allegor- 
ically  denotes  the  temple  or  city 
of  Jerusalem,  which  is  strong 
and  powerful.  Bonfrerius  says 
that  in  Isaiah,  Ariel  denotes  Je- 
rusalem, and  in  Ezek.  the  altar. 


ARM 


ARM 


ARIMANON,  a  city  of 
refuge  in  Canaan  beyond  Jor- 
dan. Perhaps,  the  same  as 
Ramoth  in  Gilead. 

ARIM ATHEA,  the  city  of 
Joseph  the  counseller,  who  beg- 
ged the  body  of  Jesus,  Luke 
xxiii,  50;  &c.  from  Pilate,  and 
who  having  taken  it  down 
from  the  cross,  wrapped  it  in 
linen,  andlaid  it  in  a  sepulchre, 
that  was  hewn  in  a  stone,  in 
which  man  never  before  was 
laid.  St.  Jerome  places  this 
citv  between  Lyda  and  Joppa, 

ARMAGEDDON,  a  cele- 
brated place  in  Canaan  repeat- 
edly mentioned  in  scripture. 
Eusebius  says  it  is  where  An- 
tichrist and  the  devil  will  col- 
lect their  armies  to  fight  against 
God  and  his  saints.  Megeddo 
was  a  city  in  the  half  tribe  of 
Manasseh,  west  from  the  Jor- 
dan, near  the  Kishon,  and  not 
far  from  mount  Tabor.  To 
this  name,  if  we  add  hur,  Mr, 
or  ar,  we  may  form  Armaged- 
don, which  signifies,  according 
to  Pool  and  Faber,  the  destruc- 
tion of  Megeddo,  a  name  very  ap- 
propriate to  Megeddo,  consid- 
ering the  bloody  scenes,  which 
have  been  exhibited  in  its  vi- 
cinity. Here  the  good  king 
Josiah  received  a  mortal  wound 
in  a  battle  with  Necho,  king  of 
Egypt,  and  was  carried  dead  in 
his  chariot  from  the  field  of  bat- 
tle to  Jerusalem,  2  Kings  xxiii. 


Near  this  town,  also,  Barak 
vanquished  the  forces  of  Sisera, 
Judges  v.  "There  fought  the 
kings  of  Canaan  by  the  waters 
of  Megeddo.  They  fought 
from  heaven;  the  stars  in  their 
courses  fought  against  Sisera." 
These  royal  battles  are  suppos- 
ed to  be  only  shadows  or  em- 
blems of  that  greater  battle  of 
the  great  day  of  God  Almigh- 
ty, which  is  to  be  fought  near 
this  town.  Rev.  xvi,  16.  And 
he  gathered  the  kings  of  the 
earth,  and  of  the  whole  world, 
to  a  place,  called  in  the  He- 
brew tongue,  Armageddon.  It 
is  the  concurrent  opinion  of 
learned  divines,  that  when  the 
sufferings  of  the  Church  shall 
draw  to  a  close,  after  a  period 
of  twelve  hundred  and  sixty 
years,  which  it  is  expected  will 
terminate  about  A.  D.  1866, 
that  then  Antichrist,  who  has 
already  begun  "to  rule  the 
kings  of  the  earth,"  will  go 
forth  to  destroy  the  people  of 
God  in  Palestine.  There  the 
gigantic  power,  now  crushing 
the  nations  under  his  feet,  will 
come  to  his  end,  and  none  will 
help  him.  This  Antichrist 
"shall  do  according  to  his  will," 
till  the  indignation  of  God  shall 
be  accomplished.  He  shall 
execute  the  office  given  him, 
as  a  minister  of  Divine  ven- 
geance. After  having  been  the 
scourge  of  God  in  other  coun- 


ARM 


ARM 


tries,  and  made  the  sword  of 
Almighty  wrath,  chunk  with 
the  blood  of  the  nations,  he 
shall  enter  the  glorious,  holy 
land  of  Palestine;  and  he  shall 
plant  the  tabernacle  of  his  pal- 
ace between  the  seas.  "He 
shall  proceed,"  say  the  proph- 
ets, "and  come  as  a  storm, 
and  as  a  cloud  cover  the  land, 
he  shall  go  from  his  place,  from 
the  north  parts  of  the  world; 
to  carry  away  silver,  and  gold, 
and  goods,  and  great  spoil," 
collected  by  the  Jews  from  all 
countries.  He  will  gather  all 
nations  against  Jerusalem  to 
battle,  and  the  city  shall  be 
taken.  God  will  then  rise  in 
his  vengeance,  "he  will  send 
pestilence  and  blood;  and  rain 
an  overflowing  rain,  and  great 
hailstones,  and  fire  and  brim- 
stone" upon  him.  While  his 
immense  armies  cover  the 
mountains  of  Israel,  the  abus- 
ed elements  become  the  en- 
raged ministers  of  Divine  ven- 
geance. The  atmosphere  no 
longer  yields  its  vital  energy; 
the  earth  no  longer  supports 
their  weary  limbs;  the  moun- 
tains are  thrown  down,  floods 
of  rain  and  ponderous  hail- 
stones, drown  and  destroy  their 
camps.  The  stars  fight  against 
them,  the  gentle  breeze  is 
changed  to  a  howling  tempest; 
the  fiery  bolts  of  heaven  destroy 
the  fields,  and  consume  the  le- 


gions of  war;  a  fatal  pestilence 
lurks  in  every  breath;  the  air  is 
death.  "Thev  have  fought 
against  Jerusalem;"  therefore, 
saith  God,  "every  man's  sword 
shall  devour  his  brother;"  dis- 
cord and  dismay  shall  seize 
them;  "their  flesh  shall  consume 
away,  while  they  stand  on  their 
feet,  and  their  eyes  shall  con- 
sume away  in  their  holes,  and 
their  tongue  shall  consume 
away  in  their  mouth."  "These 
plagues  shall  come  in  one  day;" 
"in  one  hour  these  judgments 
come;"  "in  one  hour  is  he  made 
desolate."  Only  "a  sixth  part," 
of  his  army  will  survive  to  re- 
turn to  the  north  country.  God 
invites  "the  fowls  and  beasts 
to  come  and  eat  the  flesh  of 
the  mighty  and  drink  the  blood 
of  his  princes  and  men  of  war." 

"It  is  come;  it  is  done,  saith 
the  Lord  God."  The  weapons 
of  this  vast  Antichristian  army, 
which  is  destroyed,  will  supply 
the  whole  land  of  Israel,  "with 
fuel  for  seven  years."  They 
will  cut  no  wood  from  their 
fields  or  forests.  On  the  east 
side  of  the  sea  shall  they  bury 
them,  and  seven  months,  shall 
all  the  nations  of  Israel  be  bu- 
rying them,  that  they  may 
cleanse  the  land  from  contagion. 

This  battle  and  overthrow  of 
Antichrist  is  the  same  mention- 
ed in  Revelations.  It  is  fought 
in  the  same  place,  and  at  the 


ARM 


ARM 


same  time.  There  the  dragon, 
the  beast  and  the  false  prophet, 
gather  the  kings  of  the  earth 
and  of  the  whole  world  to  the 
battle  of  the  great  day  of  God 
Almighty.  They  gather  them 
together  to  a  place  called  Ar- 
mageddon, which  lies  between 
the  Galilean  and  Mediterranean 
seas. 

All  these  enemies  of  Christ 
are  to  perish  at  the  close  of  the 
twelve  hundred  and  sixty  years. 
Hence  it  is  evident  from  proph- 
ecy, that  not  far  from  the  pres- 
ent time  Antichrist  will  unite 
witK  the  papal  powers;  they 
will  go  forth  to  the  holy  land, 
and  there  between  the  seas  will 
be  destroyed  together. 

These  days  will  be  terrible. 
Alas,  who  shall  live  when  God 
doeth  this.  Such  a  time  has 
not  been  since  there  was  a  na- 
tion. As  the  trembling  of  Si- 
nai, the  darkness  and  the  thun- 
der, were  signs  of  the  present 
God;  so  the  fall  of  thrones,  the 
dismay  of  nations,  and  the  dis- 
solution of  empires,  display 
the  wrath  of  Jehovah,  and  the 
exact  fulfilment  of  prophecy. 
The  sun  is  dark,  the  moon  is 
blood,  the  stars  are  falling. 
Though  the  prophecies  are  of 
old,  they  perfectly  accord  with 
the  appearances  of  the  present 
day.  This  Antichristian  pow- 
er, after  having  devoured  the 
flesh  of  the  great  Harlot,  and 
made  her  desolate,  has  formed 


«n  alliance  with  her;  she  has 
actually  set  the  crown  on  his 
head,  and  given  him  "her  pow- 
er, her  seat,  and  great  authori- 
ty." A  combination  of  their 
force  to  destroy  real  Christiani- 
ty, to  persecute  and  "crush" 
the  people  of  God,  is  highly 
probable.  "The  fury  of  God 
will  then  come  in  his  face,"  as 
prophecy  has  long  declared, 
"and  the  fire  of  his  wrath  will 
burn,"  and  this  Antichristian 
"mighty  army  of  many  nations 
shall  fall,  and  their  bones  cover 
the  land  of  Israel." 

ARMENIA,  a  province  of 
Asia,  consisting  of  Modern 
Turcomania,  and  part  of  Per- 
sia; having  Georgia  on  the 
north,  Curdistan,  the  ancient 
Assyria  on  the  south,  and  Na- 
tolia  or  Asia  Minor  on  the  west. 
This  province  includes  the 
sources  of  the  Tigris  and  Eu- 
phrates, the  Araxes  and  Pha- 
sis;  and  here  also  the  province 
of  Eden,  in  which  Paradise  was 
situated,  is  by  some  supposed 
to  lie.  The  name  Armenia, 
is  thought  to  be  derived,  either 
from  Aram  the  Father  of  the 
Syrians,  or  from  Harminni, 
the  mountain  of  the  Mineans. 
Moses,  Gen.  viii,  4,  says  that 
the  ark  rested  upon  the  moun- 
tains of  Armenia,  according  to 
the  Vulgate;  but  it  is  the  moun- 
tains of  Ararat,  by  the  Septua- 
gint  and  Hebrew  reading.  In 
the  second  book  of  Kings,  chap. 


ARN 


ARO 


xix,  vcr  27,  and  Isa.  xxxvii, 

38,  it  is  said  that  the  two  sons 
of  Senachcrib,  after  having  kil- 
led  their  father,  escaped  into 
Armenia.  It  is  one  of  the 
most  healthy  provinces  of  all 
Asia;  the  air  is  mild,  the  soil 
is  rich,  and  well  watered  with 
many  streams  and  large  rivers. 
On  this  account  perhaps,  some 
have  supposed  it  to  be  the 
paradise  or  garden  of  Eden, 
mentioned  in  Genesis.  The 
frontiers,  though  mountainous, 
are  fertile.  Formerly  it  was  an 
independent  kingdom;  but  is 
now  subject,  partly  to  Persia, 
and  partly  to  the  Turks.  The 
part  subject  to  the  Persians  is 
called  Upper  or  Grand  Arme- 
nia, and  sometimes  Eastern; 
the  other  part  is  called  Lower 
or  Little,  or  Western  Armenia. 
The  people  are  sober,  indus- 
trious, and  enterprizing.  Mer- 
chants of  Armenia  are  found 
in  almost  every  considerable 
port  of  Asia  and  Europe. 
They  are  Christians.  It  is 
said  a  million  souls  in  this 
country  profess  Christianity, 
though  they  are  subject  to 
Mahometan  masters.  Their 
clergy  consist  of  monks, preach- 
ers, doctors,  bishops,  archbish- 
ops, and  patriarchs.  Erze- 
ram  is  the  capital  of  Armenia. 
Polygamy  is  not  allowed;  of 
course  the  people  are  more  nu- 
merous, than  in  any  other  prov- 
8 


ince  of  the  Turkish  empire. 
The  celebrated  mountain  Ara- 
rat, on  which,  or  some  other 
summit  of  the  same  range-,  the 
ark  of  Noah  rested,  is  in  this 
country.      (See  Ararat. J 

ARNON,  a  river  or  brook 
frequently  mentioned  in  scrip- 
ture; its  spring  head  is  in  the 
mountains  of  Gilead,  or  of  the 
Moabites;  it  discharges  itself 
into  the  Dead  Sea.  Ancientlv 
this  river  was  the  dividing  line 
between  the  Amofites  and  Mo- 
abites, and  afterwards  it  was 
the  line  between  the  Moabites, 
and  those  tribes  of  Israel,  who 
settled  east  of  Jordan.  They 
possessed  from  Anion  to  the 
mount  of  Hermon.   Bonfrerius. 

AROER,  a  city  of  Judea, 
belonging  to  the  tribe  of  Gad, 
Deut.  ii,  36,  &c.  situated  on  the 
northern  banks  of  the  brook 
Arnon,  at  the  extremity  of  that 
country,  which  the  Hebrews 
possessed  beyond  Jordan.  Eu- 
sebius  says,  that  in  his  time, 
Aroer,  was  seared  on  a  moun- 
tain. There  appears  to  have 
been  several  towns  of  this  name 
in  Palestine.  See  Josh,  xiii, 
25,  Judg.  ii,  33;  1  Sim.  xxx, 
28,  &c.  This,  however,  is 
doubted  by  others,  and  not 
without  some  good  reasons. 
"The  city  in  the  midst  of 
the  river,"  and  "the  ci'v  in 
the  river,"  Sec.  ma\  doubtless 
mean   the   same  place.     It   is 


ARP 


ASH 


supposed  the  city  might  con- 
sist of  two  parts,  one  standing 
on  the  bank  of  the  river,  the 
other  in  the  river,  or  on  a  piece 
of  ground  surrounded  by  the 
water  of  the  river,  an  island  in 
the  Anion.  This  opinion 
seems  countenanced  not  only 
from  the  city  in  the  river  be- 
ing mentioned  with  Aroer;  but 
also  from  the  very  name  Aroer. 
The  Hebrew  word  seems  to  be 
compounded  from  the  word  Ir, 
a  city  repeated  or  doubled,  im- 
plying, that  Aroer,  was  a 
double  city,  or  two  cities  unit- 
ed in  one.  What  is  said  in 
the  text  above  seems  to  favor 
this.  When  we  read  that  they 
pitched  in  Aroer,  on  the  right 
side  of  the  city,  that  lies  in  the 
midst  of  the  river  of  Gad;  this 
last  phrase  is  exegetical,  to  ex- 
plain on  what  part  of  the  town 
they  lay,  viz.  on  that  part, 
which  lies  in  the  midst  of  the 
river  of  Gad.  It  was  eighteen 
miles  north  from  Jerusalem. 

ARPAD,  is  thought  to  have 
been  a  city  of  Syria.  It  was 
always  placed  with  Hamath, 
2  Kings,  xviii,  34,  xix,  13,  Isa. 
x,  9,  xxxvi,  19,  xxxvii,  13; 
Jer.  xlix,  23.  Senacherib 
boasts  of  having  reduced  Ar- 
pad  and  Hamath,  or  of  having 
destroyed  the  gods  of  those  two 
places.  Hamath  is  known  to 
be  the  same  with  Emesa;  and 
it  is  thought  that  Arpad  is  the 


same  with  Arad  or  Arvad,  as  it 
is  sometimes  called  in  Hebrew. 
See  Arad.  Dr.  Wells  says 
that  Arvad  or  Urphad  lay  above 
the  land  of  Hamath,  overagainst 
which  lies  the  island  of  Aradus, 
which  name  contains  traces  of 
the  Hebrew  Arpad  or  Arvad. 
This  city  after  having  been  tak- 
en by  the  Assyrians,  was  ruined 
by  the  Chaldeans,  Jer.  xlix,23, 
but  seems  afterwards  to  have 
been  rebuilt. 

ARSARETH,  the  country 
where  it  is  supposed  the  ten 
tribes  of  Israel  may  be  found, 
2  Esdras,  xiii,  45.  See  Is- 
raelites. 

ARVAD,  a  city  of  Phenicia, 
situated  on  a  small  island, south- 
ward of  Tyre,  and  a  league  from 
the  continent.     See  Aradus. 

ARUBOTH,  or  Araboth, 
a  city  or  country  belonging  to 
the  tribe  of  Judah,  ( 1  Kings  iv, 
10)  the  true  situation  of  which 
is  not  known. 

ARUMAH,  a  city  near  She- 
chem,  (Judges  ix,  41)  where 
Abimelech  dwelt. 

ASH  AN,  a  city  of  Palestine, 
belonging  to  the  tribe  of  Judah, 
(Josh,  xv,  42)  but  yielded  to 
the  tribe  of  Simeon,  (Josh,  xix, 
7.)     La't.  31,  22. 

ASHDOD,  one  of  the  five 
governments,  belonging  to  the 
Philistines. 

A  s  h  d  o  d  .ovAzoth,  according 
to  the  Vulgate,  or  Azotus,  ac- 


ASH 


ASH 


cording  to  the  Greek,  a  city, 
which  was  assigned  by  Joshua 
(xv,  4,  7)  to  the  tribe  of  Judah, 
and  afterwards  given  to  Dan; 
but  was  possessed  a  long  time 
by  the  Philistines,  and  render- 
ed famous  for  the  temple  of 
their  god,  Dagon.  It  lies  upon 
the  Mediterranean  sea,  about 
nine  or  ten  miles  north  of  Gaza. 
Here  Philip,  the  evangelist, 
preached  the  gospel,  and  a 
church  was  continued  till  the 
ravages  of  the  Saracens.  In 
the  times,  when  Christianity 
flourished  in  these  parts,  it  was 
made  an  Episcopal  see,  and 
continued  a  fair  village,  till  the 
days  of  St.  Jerome.  The  pres- 
ent state  of  Ashdod  is  thus 
described  by  Dr.  Wittman: 
"pursuing  our  route  March  14, 
through  a  delightful  country, 
we  came  to  Ashdod,  by  the 
Greeks  called  Azotus,  a  town 
of  great  antiquity,  provided 
with  two  small  entrance  gates. 
In  passing  through  the  place, 
we  saw  several  fragments  of 
columns,  capitals,  and  cornices 
of  marble.  Towards  the  cen- 
tre is  a  handsome  mosque  with 
a  minaret.  By  the  Arabs  the 
place  is  called  Mezdel.  Two 
miles  to  the  south  on  a  hill  is 
a  ruin,  having  in  its  centre  a 
lofty  column,  standing  entire. 
The  delightful  verdure  of  the 
surrounding  plains,  with  a  great 
abundance  of    fine,  old    olive 


trees,  rendered  the  scene  charm- 
ingly picturesque.  In  the  vil- 
lages, tobacco,  fruit,  and  veg- 
etables, in  great  plenty  are  cul- 
tivated by  the  inhabitants;  the 
fertile  and  extensive  plains  \  it  Id 
an  ample  produce  of  corn.  At 
this  time  the  wheat  was  just 
coming  into  ear;  the  harvest 
here  takes  place  the  latter  part 
of  April,  or  beginning  of  May. 
Ashdod  may  be  seen  from  a 
hill  near  Joppa.  In  Sam.  v,  2, 
Uzziah,  king  of  Judah  brake 
down  the  walls  of  Ashdod,  and 
built  cities  about  Ashdod."  To 
build  cities  about  another  city 
would  be  very  remarkable;  but 
to  build  towers  might  be  use- 
ful. Probably  what  are  called 
cities  were  watch  towers.  One 
of  which  was  standing  a  few 
years  ago,  which  Dr.  Wittman 
saw.  Herodotus  says,  ''That 
Psammetichus,  king  of  Egypt, 
lay  with  his  arms  nine  and 
twenty  years  before  Azotus,  so 
that  of  all  the  cities,  which  we 
know,  none  ever  maintained  so 
long  a  siege."  Judas  Macca- 
baeus,  (Mace,  ix,  18,)  was  kil- 
led on  mount  Azotus.  This 
place  is  memorable  for  the 
temple  of  Dagon  into  which 
the  ark  of  God  was  brought 
and  set  by  the  side  of  Dagon. 
Of  Ashdod  the  prophets  fore- 
told terrible  things;  and  histo- 
ry has  recorded  their  terrible 
fulfilment.     Jerome   sa^ 


ASH 


ASH 


Ashdod  should  drink  "the  cup 
of  divine  fury."  Amos  says, 
"The  Lord  will  cut  off  the  in- 
habitant from  Ashdod."  Ze- 
phaniah  says,  "they  shall  drive 
out  Ashdod  at  noon  day."  Ac- 
cordingly in  Macca.  x,  77,  we 
read  of  the  complete  destruc- 
tion of  Ashdod  or  Azotus. 
Jonathan  set  fire  to  Azotus,  and 
the  temple  of  Dagon  he  burn- 
ed: those  burned  and  slain 
were  about  eight  thousand. 
The  temple,  the  city,  and  the 
very  suburbs,  were  destroyed. 
The  dead  bodies  of  the  slain 
were  not  buried,  but  piled  in 
heaps  by  the  way  side.  Some- 
time after,  the  city  was  again 
burned,  and  two  thousand  of 
the  people  destroyed.  1  Mace. 
xvi,  10.  To  recapitulate  the 
calamities  of  this  city,  would 
show  the  terrible  fulfilment  of 
prophecy.  King  Uzziah  took 
the  city  and  demolished  the 
walls,  and  built  a  garrison  to 
command  the  place;  Tartan, 
the  Assyrian  general,  took  it  by 
assault,  and  left  there  a  garri- 
son; Nebuchadnezzar  took  and 
ravaged  the  city;  Alexander 
the  Great,  in  his  all  conquering 
march,  took  Ashdod;  Jonathan, 
the  Jewish  Maccabee,  took  the 
eity,  and  burned  it  to  ashes. 

ASHDOTH,  was  a  city  in 
the  tribe  of  Reuben,  called  also 
Ashdoth-Pisgah,  because  it  lay 
near  the  mountain,  or  perhaps 


springs  of  Pisgah.  Lat.  31, 
30. 

ASHER,  a  city  of  Canaan. 

Asher,  this  tribe  lay  in  the 
north-west  coiner  of  Canaan, 
extending  on  the  Mediterra- 
nean for  56  miles,  bounded 
north  by  the  mountains  of  Leb- 
anon, east  by  the  tribe  of  Naph- 
tali;  and  south  by  Zebulon. 
But  this  tribe  never  di«ove  out 
all  the  nations  of  the  country, 
nor  obtained  possession  of  all 
the  territory  allotted  to  them. 
Whether  this  was  a  frown  of 
Providence  for  their  sins,  or 
whether  it  was  owing  to  the 
cowardice  of  the  people,  or 
whether  their  actual  possessions 
satisfied  their  wants,  we  are  not 
informed,  Their  soil  produc- 
ed a  plenty  of  the  comforts  and 
luxuries  of  life,  and  abounded 
in  mines.  They,  however, 
tamely  submitted  to  the  tyran- 
ny of  Jabin,  king  of  Canaan; 
but  assisted  Gideon  in  his  pur- 
suit of  the  Midianites.  At  the 
coronation  of  David  they  at- 
tended with  forty  thousand  war- 
riors. When  this  tribe  came 
from  Egypt  their  warriors  were 
41,500;  in  the  wilderness  they 
amounted  to  53,400.  Jacob 
had  prophesied,  to  use  the  trans- 
lation of  Dr.  Clarke,  "From 
Asher  his  bread  shall  be  fat,  and 
he  shall  produce  royal  dain- 
ties." "This  refers,"  says  the 
Doctor,  "to  the  great  fertility 


ASI 


ASM 


of  the  lot,  which  fell  to  Asher, 
and  which  appears  to  have  cor- 
responded with  the  name,  which 
signifies  happy  or  blessed,  and 
whose  great  prosperity  Moses 
dt  scribes  in  this  figurative  way, 
"Let  Asher  be  blessed  with 
children,  let  him  be  acceptable 
to  his  brethren,  and  let  him  dip 
his  foot  inorf"  Deut.  xxxiii, 
24.  Within  the  limits,  which 
were  granted  to  this  tribe,  was 
the  celebra'ed  city  of  Twe,  cal- 
led by  tlie  Hebrews  Zor;  hence 
the  surrounding  country,  it  is 
thought,  came  to  be  called  Sy- 
ria. Here  was  also  the  city  of 
Achzib,  at  the  present  called 
Tib;  also  Accho,  afterwards 
called  Ptolemais,  but  now  cal- 
led Acra,  or  Acre,  or  St.  John 
de  Acre. 

ASHNAH,  a  city  in  the  tribe 
of  Judah.     Joshua  xv,  33. 

ASIA,  one  of  the  four  grand 
divisions  of  the  earth,  situated 
between  25,  and  148  degrees, 
east  from  London,  and  between 
the  equator  and  72  degrees  of 
north  latitude,  bounded  by  the 
Frozen  ocean  on  the  north,  by 
the  Pacific  ocean  on  the  east, 
by  the  Indian  ocean  on  the 
south,  by  the  Red  sea  on  the 
south-west,  by  the  Mediterra- 
nean and  Euxine  seas,  Sec.  on 
the  west  and  north-west;  being 
4800  miles  long,  from  east  to 
west,  and  4300  broad,  from 
north  to  south. 


This  quarter  of  the  world  is 
designated  by  the  eastern,  mid- 
dle, and  western  divisions;  the 
first  comprehending  the  empire 
of  China,  Chinese  Tartary,  and 
the. oriental  islands,  lying  south 
and  eastward  of  China.  The 
second  or  middle  division, 
comprehending  Persia,  Arabia, 
Astracan,  and  Circassian  Tar- 
tary,  and  Turkey  in  Asia.  The 
word  Asia,  when  put  alone,  un- 
less otherwise  determined  by 
the  context,  signifieth  one  of. 
the  four  quarters  of  the  world. 
That  part  of  it,  which  lies  be- 
tween mount  Taurus  on  the 
east,  and  the  Hellespont  on  the 
west,  is  called  the  Asia  Minor, 
or  Natolia. 

The  ancient  Hebrews  were 
strangers  to  the  division  of  the 
earth  into  three  or  four  parts, 
and  wTe  never  find  the  name 
Asia,  in  aViy  book  written  in 
the  Hebrew.  This  nation 
seemed  to  think  that  the  conti- 
nent consisted  only  of  Asia- 
Minor,  and  Africa.  The  rest 
of  the  world,  and  even  Asia- 
Major,"  were  comprized  under 
the  name  of  the  isles  of  the 
Gentiles,  (Gen.  x,  5.) 

According  to  Dr.  Wells  the 
Lesser  Asia  or  Natolia,  con- 
tained the  provinces  of  Bythy- 
nia,  Pontus,  Galatia,  Cappado- 
cia,  Cilicia,  Pamphylia,  Pisi- 
dia,  Lycaonia,  Phrygia,  Mysia, 
Troas,  all  of  which  are  mention-. 


ASK 


ASK 


ed  in  scripture,  and  may  be 
found  in  this  work,  described 
under  their  own  names;  also 
Lydia,  with  Ionia,  and  ./Eolis, 
these  two  last  being  sometimes 
included  in  Lydia;  also  Caria, 
which  often  includes  Doris, 
and  Lydia.  Of  these  Lydia 
and  Caria,  in  their  largest  sig- 
nification, with  Mysia  and 
Phrygia,  including  Troas,  or 
Phrygia  Minor,  made  the  Ro- 
man proconsular  Asia,  and  has 
been  supposed  to  be  the  Asia 
of  scripture.  But  it  seems 
evident  from  reading  St.  Paul's 
travels,  that  Mysia,  Phrygia, 
and  Troas,  are  considered  dis- 
tinct from  Asia.  Hence  the 
most  learned  have  concluded, 
that  by  Asia  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment is  to  be  understood  Ly- 
dia, including  Ionia  and  iEolis. 
In  these  provinces  lay  the  sev- 
en churches  of  Asia, 'addressed 
in  the  Revelation  of  St.  John. 
See  Ephesus,  &c. 

ASKELON,  orAsKALON, 
a  city  in  the  land  of  the  Philis- 
tines, situated  between  Azoth 
and  Gaza,  upon  tiie  coast  of 
the  Mediterranean  sea,  about 
40  miles  west  from  Jerusalem. 
It  is  said  to  have  been  of  great 
note,  among  the  Gentiles  for  a 
temple,  dedicated  to  Derceto, 
the  mother  of  Semeramis,  here 
worshipped  in  the  form  of  a 
mermaid;  and  for  another  of 
Apollo,  where  Herod  the  father 


of  i\ntipater,  and  grandfather  of 
Herod    the   Great,   served   as 
priest.     Of  the  fish  in  a  pond 
near  the  town  the  people  dared 
not  to  eat,   because  they  were 
dedicated    to  Derceto.      The 
tribe  of  Judah,  after  the  death 
of  Joshua,  (Judges  i,    18)  took 
the  city    of  Ashkelon;    being 
one  of  the  five  governments  be- 
longing to  the  Philistines.   The 
place  at  this  day  is  very  incon- 
siderable.    The  prophet  Jere- 
miah,foretold  that  that  "Ashke- 
lon should  be  a   desolation, " 
(chap,  ii,  4.)      Accordingly  it 
was  taken  by  the  armies  of  Ju- 
dah; it  was  taken  and  ravaged 
by  the  Assyrians;  it  was  de- 
stroyed by  the  Chaldeans,  and 
though   afterwards    rebuilt,   it 
was  again  besieged  and  taken 
by  Alexander,  and    again    by 
the  Maccabees.     The  wine  of. 
Ashkelon,  and  the  cypress  tree, 
a  shrub,  that  was  very  much  es- 
teemed, and  very  common  in 
this  place,  are  frequently  men- 
tioned.     This   town  was  the 
birth  place  of  Herod  the  Great, 
and  hence  he  is  called,  Herod 
the    Ascalonite.     A  Christian 
church  was  formed  in  the  town 
soon    after    the    ascension  of 
Christ,  and  in  the  early    times 
of  Christianity,  this  was  the  res- 
idence of  a  bishop,  and  in  the 
course  of  the  holy  wars,  or  cru- 
sades, the  town  was  beautified 
and  secured  with  a  new  wall. 


APH 


APP 


and  many  iranificent  buildings 
by  fachard  I.  of  England. 
Oi  igen  says  that  there  are  wells 
at  Ashkelon,  said  to  have  been 
dug  bv  Abraham  and  Isaac. 

ASHTAROTH,  or  Ash- 
taroth  Karnaim,  one  of 
the  principal  cities  belonging 
to  Og,  king  of  Bashan,  given 
to  the  half  tribe  of  Mahasseh 
east  of  Jordan.  The  word 
Karnaim,  in  Hebrew  denotes 
two  homed,  from  which  some 
have  supposed,  that  the  city 
stood  on  two  hills,  or  else  was 
so  built,  as  to  resemble  two 
horns;  but  by  others  it  is  thought 
more  probable,  that  as  Ashta- 
roth  was  an  idol  much  wor- 
shipped at  that  period  in  those 
countries,  and  as  the  moon  was 
understood  by  this  name,  and 
the  usual  mode  of  draw ing  the 
picture  of  the  moon  was  with 
two  horns,  that,  therefore,  from 
a  temple  of  this  idol,  the  place 
received  its  name,  and  was  cal- 
led Ashtaroth  Carnaim,  or  Ash- 
taroth,  or  Carnaim,  lMaccab. 
v,  26,  43, 44.  "All  the  heath- 
en fled  into  the  temple,  that 
was  at  Carnaim."  This  last 
name  is  sometimes  changed  to 
Carnion,  2  Maccab.  xii,  21 — 
26.  Then  Maccabeus  march- 
ed forth  to  Carnion,  and  to  the 
temple  of  Artugatis,  and  there 
he  slew  five  and  twenty  thous- 
and persons.     This   place  for 


a  long  time  has  been  only  a 
petty  village,  called  Karnion. 
ASMONiEANS,  a  name 
given  to  the  Maccabees,  de- 
scendants of  Mattathias.  This 
family  became  illustrious  in 
the  later  times  of  the  Jewish 
Commonwealth.  They  enjoy- 
ed the  chief  authority,  and  be- 
came the  pillars  of  religion  and 
civil  liberty,  they  descended 
from  Aaron,  and  of  right  inher- 
ited the  pontificial  office. 
ASPHALTITES,      See 

ASPHAR. 

ASPHAR  a  lake  mention- 
ed in  the  first  book  of  Macca- 
bees ix,  33,  where  it  is  said, 
that  Jonathan  and  Simon  his 
brother,  retired  into  the  desert 
of  Thecoe,  near  the  lake  As- 
phar.  Calmet  thinks  it  prob- 
able, that  this  lake  is  the  same 
with  thk  lacus  Asphaltites,  or 
the  lake  of  Sodom,  which  we 
are  told  by  Maundrel,  the  pres- 
ent inhabitants  adjacent  to  this 
lake,  call  the  lake  of  Lot.  It 
was  named  lacus  Asphaltites,  on 
account  of  the  great  quantity  of 
Asphaltus,or bitumen  produced 
in  it,  being  in  such  quantities, 
that  no  fish  can  live  in  the  wa- 
ters; nor  can  a  man  without 
difficulty  sink  in  them,  by  rea- 
son of  their  weight  and  density, 
sometimes  there  are  pieces  of 
bitumen  to  be  seen  on  the  top 
of  the  waters,  as  large  as   a 


ASS 


ASS 


boat;  this  the  Arabians  use  in 
their  medical  preparations,  but 
more  especially  in  embalming 
dead  bodies.  The  lake  As- 
phalt ites  receives  all  the  waters 
of  Jordan  and  of  the  b/ooks 
Arnon  and  Jabbok,  and  other 
waters,  which  descend  from 
the  neighboring  mountains,  and 
notwithstanding  it  has  no  visi- 
ble outlet,  it  does  not  overflow, 
See  Salt  Sea.     Lat.  31,  28. 

ASSOS,  a  seaport  situated 
on  the  south-west  part  of  Troas, 
and  over  against  the  island  of 
Lesbos.  St.  Luke  and  some 
other  of  St.  Paul's  companions, 
in  his  voyage,  Acts  xx,  13, 14, 
went  by  sea  from  Troas  to  As- 
sos;  but  St.  Paul  went  by  land, 
and  meeting  them  at  Assos, 
they  all  went  to  My  tel- 
enet Jerome  says,  that  Assos 
was  near  the  city  of-Troy.  It 
seems  to  have  been  built  on  a 
hill,  and  near  it  were  those 
famed  quarries  of  the  Sarco- 
phagus stone,  which,  it  is  said, 
consumes  dead  bodies  in  forty 
days,  the  teeth  excepted.  It 
was  much  near*  r  by  land  to 
Troas  than  by  water, a  promon- 
tory running  far  into  the  sea 
between  the  two  cities;  this 
might  be  the  reason  why 
St.  Paul  chose  to  travel  by 
land.  Lat. 40,3.  Broivn^Kimp- 
ton. 

ASSYRIA,  an  ancient  king- 
dom of  Asia,  comprehending 


those  provinces  of  Turkey  and 
Persia,  which  are  no  v  called 
Curdistan,  Diarbec,  and  Irac 
Arabia;  being  bounded  by  Ar- 
menia on  the  north,  Media  and 
Persia  on  the  east,  Arabia  on 
the  south,  and  the  river  Eu- 
phrates, which  divides  it  from 
Syria  and  Asia- Minor  on  the 
west. 

It  is  supposed  that  Ashur 
the.  son  of  Shem,  settlrd  in 
this  country,  and  gave  it  his 
own  name.  It  is  believed  that 
he  originally  dwelt  in  the  land 
of  Shinar  and  about  Babvlon, 
but  that  he  was  compelled  by 
the  usurper  Nimrod  to  go 
thence,  and  settle  higher  to- 
wards the  springs  of  Tigris, 
in  the  province  of  x4.ssyria,  so 
called  from  him,  where  he  built 
the  famous  city  of  Nineveh, 
and  those  of  Rehoboth,  and 
Calah,  and  R;  sin.  This  is  the 
sense,  which  is  generally  put 
upon  the  words  of  Moses, 
Gen.  x,  11,  12.  But  Bochart 
explains  the  text  of  Moses  in 
a  different  way.  He  under- 
stands it  of  Nimrod,  who  left 
his  own  country  and  attacked 
Assyria,  of  which  he  became 
master,  and  there  built  Nine- 
veh, Rehoboth,  Calah,  and  Re- 
sin; here  he  established  the 
seat  of  his  empire,  and  be- 
came the  most  powerful,  and 
probably  the  first  monarch  of 
the  East. 


ATI! 


ATH 


ASTAROTH,  the  name  of 
two  chics  mentioned  in  Scrip- 
ture, one  of  which  is  in  the  tribe 
of  Gad  bevond  Jordan,  Num. 
xxxii,  34,  thought  to  be  the 
same  with  Ataroth  Shopan, 
which  was  given  to  the  tribe 
of  Gad;  and  another  upon  the 
frontiers  of  Egypt  between  Ja- 
nohah  and  Jericho,  Josh,  xvi, 
7;  thought  to  be  the  same  with 
Altaroth-Maddar  mentioned  in 
Josh.  x*i,  5    and  xviii,  13. 

ATACH,  a  city  ii>  the  tribe 
of  Judah,   1  Sam.  xxx,  30. 

ATAROTH,    see   Asta- 

R0TH. 

ALTHAR,  a  city  in  the 
tribe  of  Simeon,  Josh,  xix,  7. 

Athens,  an  ancient  city  of 
A.  'ui.i,  a  province  of  Greece. 
Lab  38,  4,  N.  long.  24,  3,  E. 
I  -till  retains  its  ancient  name; 
and  is  the  capital  of  a  diuchy, 
or  province,  in  the  middle  of 
an  extensive,  barren  plain,  re- 
markable for  its  health  and 
beauty.  Few  cities  have  been 
so  renowned  for  their  valor,^ 
their  power,  or  their  science. 
The  light  of  their  splendid  tal- 
ents still  shines,  the  eloquence 
of  their  orators  is  still  heard 
with  delight.  This  city,  it  is 
supposed,  was  founded  1580 
years  before  the  birth  of  Jesus 
Christ,  830  years  before  the 
building  of  Rome,  to  which 
adding  the  time,  which  has 
since  elapsed,  1812,  it  will  be 
9 


3400  years  since  Athens  was 
built.     Dr.  Chandler,  and  Mr. 
George    Wheeler,     inform  us, 
that  this  is  yet  a  city  of  consid-  . 
erable  importance,  about  four 
miles  in  circuit;   the  streets  are 
narrow,    and  the  houses  built 
near  together.    The  population 
is  about   10,000.     The  monu- 
ments of  ancient  magnificence  _ 
are    numerous;     here   are    the 
ruins  of  opulent  porticoes,  col- 
leges,   theatres,    towers,    and 
tombs,  also,   of  temples,   once 
sacred    to    Neptune,  Minerva, 
and  Jupiter.    Some  of  the  mar- 
•ble  columns  are  more  than  forty 
feet  in  length.  The  inhabitants 
are  still  distinguished  for  their 
dexterity,     sprightliness,    and 
acuteness    of    genius.        Two, 
thirds  of  them  are  Christians  of 
the  Greek  church.     This  place 
is  the  seat   of  an  arch-bishop, 
whose  revenue  is  about  4000 
dollars  a  year.     In  the  city  and 
neighborhood   are    about    200 
churches,    52   of   which    have 
ministers  belonging   to   them. 
The  others  are   seldom  used, 
excepting  on  anniversary  occa- 
sions   for    the    honor  of  their 
founders  or  benefactors.     The 
Turks  have  five  mosques,  four 
in  the  town,  and  one  in  the  cas- 
tle.    This  last  Mas    once  the 
temple  of  Minerva,  and  is  said 
to  be  the  finest  monument   of 
architecture  in  the  world.    The 
Christians,  to  avoid  the  cruel 


ATH 


ATH 


tribunals  of  the  Turks,  *as  far 
as  possible,  have  formed  a  little 
body  politic  among  themselves. 
Having  divided  the  city  into 
eight  parts,  they  elect  one  man 
from  each  of  these  sections, 
most  distinguished  for  his  piety 
and  wisdom,  to  constitute  a 
court  to  judge  between  Chris- 
tian and  Christian.  To  this 
elected  body  they  refer  all  their 
important  concerns.  They 
have  convents  for  men  and 
women.  In  the  year  of  Christ 
52,  during  the  reign  of  Claudi- 
us, St.  Paul  came  to  Athens, 
and  though  it  was  contrary  to 
law  to  introduce  any  new  De- 
ity, yet  having  on  his  way  from 
the  port  to  the  city  observed 
an  altar  dedicated  to  the  "Un- 
known God,"  he  seized  this 
circumstance  tojustify  himself 
for  preaching  Jesus  Christ. 
Though  they  complained,  and 
called  him  a  babbler,  and  ar- 
raigned him  before  the  Areo- 
pagus, his  eloquent  discourse 
converted  Dionysius  one  of  the 
court,  who  was  afterwards  a 
bishop  of  the  city.  This  is  a 
seaport,  situated  on  the  north- 
east coast  of  the  gulph  of  En- 
gia,  in  the  Archipelago;  the 
harbor  is  large  and  secure,  and 
the  entrance  is  commanded  by 
the  citadel;  it  is  300  miles  south- 
west from  Constantinople. 
Having  mentioned  the  Areopa- 
gus, some  account  of  that  re- 


nowned tribunal  in  this  city, 
may  well  be  here  expected. 
(See  Ency.) 

Areopagus,  was  a  sover- 
eign tribunal  at  Athens,  famous 
for  the  justice  and  impartiality 
of  its  decrees,  to  which  the 
gods  themselves  are  said  to 
have  submitted  their  differen- 
ces. Plutarch  attributes  the 
establishment  of  the  Areopa- 
gus to  Solon.  The  judges  of 
this  court,  who  under  Draco, 
decided  only  in  cases  of  mur- 
der, now  took  cognizance  of 
all  crimes,  and  the  same  tribu- 
nal, which  inflicted  capital  pun- 
ishment on  murder,  poisoning, 
burning  of  houses,  theft,  &c. 
struck  at  the  roots  of  those 
ciimes  by  arraigning  idleness, 
luxury,  and  debauchery. 
Equally  attentive  to  stimulate 
the  indolence  of  the  young,  and 
the  languor  of  the  old,  these 
sages  roused  in  the  one  the 
laudable  ambition  to  serve  the 
state,  and  restored  to  the  others 
their  former  activity.  The 
judges  of  the  Areopagus,  says 
Isocrates,  were  more  industri- 
ous to  prevent  crimes,  by  re- 
presenting them  in  an  odious 
light,  than  to  establish  modes 
of  punishment.  It  was  their 
opinion  that  the  enemies  of  the 
state  were  the  instruments  des- 
tined by  the  gods  to  punish 
the  wicked;  but  that  it  was 
their  province  to  correct  and 


ATH 


ATM 


reform  public  and  private  man- 
ners. They  were  vigilantly 
attentive  to  the  conduct  of  all 
the  citizens,  but  particularly  to 
that  of  youth.  They  well  knew 
that  the  impetuosity  of  juvenile 
passion,  gave  the  most  violent 
shocks  to  health  and  growing 
virtue,  that  it  was  the  duty  of 
inspectors  of  education,  to 
soften  the  austerity  of  modern 
discipline  with  innocent  pleas- 
ure, and  that  no  recreations 
were  more  eligible  than  bodily 
exercises,  which  enable  a 
young  man  to  give  a  good  ed- 
ucation its  full  play,  which  im- 
prove health,  give  a  pleasurable 
and  agreeable  vivacity,  and 
even  fortify  the  mind.  The 
fortunes  of  the  Athenians  were 
too  unequal  to  admit  the  same 
mode  of  education;  and,  there- 
fore, the  you'h  were  trained  in 
a  manner  suitable  to  the  rank 
and  circumstances  of  their  re- 
spective families. 

Those  of  the  inferior  class 
were  taught  agriculture  and 
commerce;  from  this  principle, 
that  idleness  is  followed  by  in- 
digence, and  that  indigence  cre- 
ates the  most  daring  and  a- 
trocious  crimes.  Having  thus 
endeavored  by  wise  precautions 
to  preclude  the  entrance  of 
moral  evil,  they  thought  they 
had  little  to  fear. 

Not  satisfied  with  having  es- 
tablished good  laws,  they  were 


extremely  careful  to  see  that 
they  were  observed.  With 
this  view,  they  divided  the  city 
into  quarters,  and  the  country 
into  cantons.  Every  thing 
passed  under  their  eyes;  they 
were  acquainted  with  the  pri- 
vate conduct  of  every  citizen. 
Those,  who  had  been  guilty  of 
any  irregularity  were  cited  be- 
fore the  magistrates  and  were 
reprehended,  or  punished  in 
proportion  to  their  misdemea- 
nor. 

The  same  Areopagites, 
obliged  the  rich  to  relieve  the 
poor.  They  repressed  the  in- 
temperance of  the  youth,  by  a 
severe  discipline.  Yet  this 
authority,  however  great  it  may 
seem,  was  subject  to  the  laws; 
by  them  rewards  and  punish- 
ments were  determined;  and 
those  respectable  judges  gave 
an  account  of  the  exercise  of 
their  trust  to  public  Censors, 
who  were  placed  betwixt  them 
and  the  people,  to  prevent  the 
aristocracy  from  growing  too 
powerful. 

The  most  important  qualifi- 
cations were  required  in  those 
who  entered  into  the  Areopa- 
gus. Solon  made  a  law,  by 
which  they,  who  had  not  been 
archons  for  a  year  should  not 
be  admitted  members  of  the 
Areopagus.  To  give  more 
force  to  his  law,  he  subjected 
himself  to  it,  and  was  only  ad 


ATH 


ATH 


mitted  on  that  title.  Such  re- 
spect was  paid  them,  that  peo- 
ple presumed  not  to  laugh  in 
their  presence,  and  so  well  es- 
tablished was  their  reputation 
for  equity,  that  those  whom 
they  condemned,  or  dismissed 
without  granting  their  petition, 
never  complained,  that  they 
had  been  unjustly  treated. 

The    first    substances    with 
which  they  gave  their  suffrages, 
were  not  small   pieces   of  the 
bones   of  a  hog,  as  some  au- 
thors assert,  but  sea  shells,  for 
which,  pieces  of  brass  of  the 
same  form,    termed  spondyla^ 
were   afterwards     substituted. 
The    substances   with    which 
they  voted  were  distinguished" 
by  their  form  and  color.  Those, 
which  condemned  were  black, 
and  perforated  in  the    middle; 
the  others  were  white,  and  not 
perforated.       The    precaution 
of    piercing  the    black    ones, 
tends  to  prove  that  the  court  of 
Areopagus    sat   in    the  night, 
for  what   end  did  it  serve   to 
pierce  the 'black  shells,  or  flints, 
if  the  j ndges  could  have  seen 
them?  But  as  they  passed  sen- 
tence in  the  dark,  it  is  evident, 
that  a  difference  besides  that  of 
color     was    necessary.     After 
the    suffrages  were   collected, 
they   were  taken  out    of  two 
urns,  in  which    they  had  been 
placed  and    put  into    a   third 
vase   of  brass.      They    were 


then  counted  and  as  the  num- 
ber of  white  or  of  black  flints 
was  higher  or  inferior,  one  of 
the  judges  drew  with  his  nail, 
a  shorter  or  a  longer  line  on  a 
tablet  with  a  waxen  surface, 
on  which  the  result  of  each 
cause  was  marked.  The  short 
line  expressed  acquittal,  the 
long  condemnation.  To  this 
mode  of  condemning  or  ac- 
quitting persons,  reference  is 
undoubtedly  had,  Rev.  ii,  17. 
"To  him  that  overcom^th  will 
I  give  a  white  stone." 

We  find  in  ancient  authors 
some  decisions  of  this  tribunal, 
which  bear  the  strongest  marks 
of  justice,  though  their  objects 
are  not  interesting.  We  shall 
here  quote  an  anecdote  from  A  u- 
lusGelliusand  Valerius  Maxi- 
mus,  of  a  woman,  who  was  ac- 
cused of  having  poisoned  her 
husband  and  her  son;  she  was 
taken  and  brought  before  Dola- 
bella,  who  Mas  then  proconsul 
of  Asia.  She  was  no  sooner 
in  his  presence,  than  she  owned 
the  fact,  and  added,  that  she 
had  very  good  reasons  for 
putting  her  husband  and  her 
son  to  death.  "I  had,"  said 
she,  "to  my  first  husband  a 
son,  whom  I  tenderly  loved, 
and  whose  virtues  rendered 
him  worthy  my  affection.  My 
second  husband,  and  the  son 
whom  I  bare  to  him,  murdered 
my  favorite   child.     I  thought 


AVA 


AVI 


it  would  luivc  been  unjust  to 
h  ve  suffered  those  two  mon- 
sters of  barbarity  to  live.  If 
you  think.  Sir,  that  I  have  com- 
mitted a  crime,  it  is  your 
province  to  punish  it;  I  cer- 
tainly shall  never  repent  of  it. 
This  affair  embarrassed  Dola- 
belia.  She  was  afterwards 
sent  to  the  Areopagus;  and 
that  court,  when  they  had  ex- 
amined her  a  longtime,  order- 
ed her  and  her  accuser  to  ap- 
peal before  them  again  a  hun- 
dred years  after,  from  the  first 
day  of  tier  trial. 

AT  HON,  a  frontier  city  of 
Arabia. 

ATROTH,  a  town  in  the 
tribe  of  Gad,  east  from  Jordan, 
Num.  xxii,  35. 

ATTALIA,  a  city  of  Pam- 
phyha,  situated  on  a  fair  bay, 
whither  St.  Paul  and  Barnabas, 
Acts  xiv,  25,  went  to  preach 
in  the  year  of  Christ  45.  The 
place  is  now  called  Sattalia; 
being  well  situated  for  trade, 
the  Turks  keep  the  fortifica- 
tions and  castle  in  repair.  The 
city  is  supposed  to  be  nearer 
the  s  a  than  formerly.  Lat.  36, 
50. 

AVA,  a  place  or  country 
mentioned  2  Kings  xvii,24,but 
where  situated,  it  is  difficult 
to  determine.  In  Deut.  ii,  23, 
we  read  of  the  Avim;  but  in 
the  same  place,  we  also  read, 
that  they  were  destroyed,  and 


that  the  Caphtorim,  or  Philis- 
tines dwelt  in  their  stead.  Nor 
does  it  appear,  that  the  king  of 
Assyria  was  sovereign  of  this 
country,  where  the  Avim  are 
said  to  dwell.  The  opinion  of 
Grotiu.s  seems  to  be  probable, 
who  has  observed  that  Ptolemy 
has  mentioned  a  people  of  Bac- 
triana,  under  the  name  of  A- 
vadice.  It  may  also  be  here 
remarked,  that  the  place  called 
Ava  may  probably  be  the  same, 
which  is  called  Ivah  in  the  18th 
chapter,  ven>e  34. 

AVEN,  a  city  of  Ep;ypt 
mentioned  Jcr.  xxx,  17,  "The 
young  men  of  Aven  and  Phi- 
beseth  shall  Full  by  the  sword, 
and  these  cities  shall  go  into 
captivity."  It  is  supposed  to 
be  the  same  as  On  and  Helio- 
polis,  which  see.  The  proph- 
ecy, however,  has  been  fulfill- 
ed. The  place  was  destroyed 
by  Nebuchadnezzar;  a  modern 
writer  says,  "the  place  is  gone 
to  ruin,  and  very  few  remains 
of  it  are  left." 

Aven,  a  plain  in  Syria;  it  is 
called  the  valley  of  Lebanon, 
and  lies  in  Celo  Syria,  the  vale 
between  Lebanon  and  Anti-li- 
banus,  is  one  of  the  most  fer- 
tile spots  of  the  world. 

AVIM,  a  city  in  the  tribe 
of  Benjamin,  Josh,  xviii,  23. 
It  lay  between  Bethel  and  Pa- 
rah.     Lat.  31,  46. 

A  VIMS,  people  descended 


AVA 


AZM 


from  Heverus,  the  son  of  Ca- 
naan. This  people  at  first  dwelt 
in  the  country,  which  was  af- 
terwards possessed  by  the 
Caphtorims,  or  Philistines. 
The  Scripture  says  expressly, 
that  the  Caphtorims  drove  out 
the  Avims,  who  dwelt  in  Haz- 
erim,  even  unto  Azzah,  Deut. 
ii,  23.  By  Azzah  is  under- 
stood Gaza,  and  by  Hazerim  is 
probably  meant  Hazeroth, 
Num.  xi,  35;  near  to  which 
place  the  children  of  Israel  had 
one  of  their  stations,  as  they 
were  marching  through  the 
desert. 

There  were  also  Avims  or 
Hivites,  at  Shechem,orGibeon, 
and  consequently  in  the  centre 
of  the  promised  land;  Josh,  xi, 
19,  for  the  inhabitants  of  Shec- 
hem,  and  the  Gibeonites  were 
Hivites.  Lastly,  there  were 
some  of  them  beyond  Jordan, 
at  the  foot  of  mount  Hermon. 
Bochart  thinks  that  Cadmus, 
who  conducted  a  colony  of 
Phoenicians  into  Greece,  was  a 
Hivite.  His  name,  Cadmus, 
comes  from  the  Hebrew  Ke- 
dem,  the  east;  because  he  came 
from  the  eastern  parts  of  the 
land  of  Canaan.  The  name  of 
his  wife  Hermione  was  taken 
from  mount  Hermon,  at  the 
root  of  which  the  Hivites  dwelt. 
The  metamorphosis  of  Cad- 
mus's  companions  into  ser- 
pents, is  founded  upon  the  sig- 


nification of  the  name  of  Hi- 
vites, which  in  the  Phoenician 
language  signifies  serpents. 

A ViTES,  a  tribe  of  the  Sa- 
maritans, which  came  from  A- 
vah,  or  Ivah,  supposed  to  be 
in  the  north-west  of  Chaldea, 
and  to  be  destroyed  by  Senna- 
charib;  they  worshipped  the 
idols  Nibhaz  and  Jahtak,  2 
Kings  xvii,  and  Isaiah  xxxvii, 
13. 

AVITH,  the  capital  of  Ha- 
dad,  king  of  Edom.  Gen. 
xxxiv,  35. 

AZEKAH,  a  city  in  the 
tribe  of  Judah,  Josh,  xv,  35. 
The  Philistines,  in  whose  army 
was  Goliah,  were  encamped  at 
Shocoh  and  Azekah,  1  Sam. 
xvii,  1,  which  lay  to  the  south 
of  Jerusalem,  and  the  east  of 
Bethlehem,  about  four  leagues 
from  the  former,  and  five  from 
the  latter.  Eusebius  and  Jer- 
ome tell  us  of  a  town  in  their 
time,  called  Ezeca,  between 
Eleutheropolis  and  Jerusalem, 
which  might  probably  be  this 
Azekah,  as  this  lay  in  that 
neighborhood.    Lat.  31,  34. 

AZEM,  a  city  of  Judea,  be- 
longing to  the  tribe  of  Simeon, 
Josh,  xix,  3. 

AZMAVETH,  or  Beth- 
Azmaveth,  Neh.  xii,  29, 
and  vii,  28,  a  city  thought  to 
be  in  the  tribe  of  Judah,  adja- 
cent to  Jerusalem  and  Ana-*, 
thoth. 


BAA 


BAA 


AZNOTH-TABOR,  Josh. 
xix,  34,  or  simply  Azanoth, 
or  Azoth,  a  city  which  Euse- 
bius  places  in  the  plain,  not 
Fat  from  Diocesaria.  Lat.  32,32. 
AZOTH,  or  Azotus, 
sec  Ashdod.  Joshua  utterly 
destro)ed  all  the  Anakims  in 
the  land  of  Israel,  excepting 
in  the  cities  of  Gaza,  Gath, 
and  Ashdod.     Josh,  xi,  22. 

AZZAH,  see  Gaza. 

BAAL  AH,  otherwise  Kir- 
jathjearim,  Josh,  xv,  9,  and 
1  Chr.  xiii,  6.  A  city  of  Ju- 
dah,  which  was  yielded  up  to 
Simeon,  not  far  from  Gibeah; 
here  the  ark  was  stationed  for 
some  time.  It  stood  on  the 
road  from  Jerusalem  to  Dios- 
polis,  ten  miles  distant.  Lat. 
31,49.     See  Kirja  thjea  rim . 

B  a  ALAH,a  mountain  of  Israel 
in  the  tribe  of  Judah,  toward 
Askalon  and  Gaza.  Lat.  32,21. 

BAALATH,  a  city  in  the 
tribe  of  Dan,  Josh,  xix,  44,  and 
1  Kings  ix,  18.  This  is  also 
the  name  of  a  citv,  which  was 
built  by  Solomon.  See  2  Chr. 
viii,  6.  Others,  however,  sup- 
pose, that  the  city  built  by  Sol- 
omon might  be  Balbec,  which 
see. 

BAAL-BEER,  a  city  lying 
to  the  south  of  the  tribe  of 
Simeon,  Josh,  xix,  8. 

BAALBERITH,  a  temple 
of  Baal  on  a  hill,  not  far  from 
Shechem,  from  which  the  peo- 


ple of  that  place  took  seventy 
pieces  of  silver,  and  with  this 
sacrilege  rewarded  Abimclech, 
the  demagogue  of  the  day,  for 
aspiring  to  destroy  the  republic, 
and  changing  it  to  a  monarchy, 
putting  the  crown  on  his  own 
head.  With  this  money  he 
hired  a  mob  to  follow  and  aid 
him  in  murdering  seventy  of 
his  brethren,  that  he  might 
have  no  rival,  Judg.  ix. 
Lat.  32,  6. 

BAAL -GAD,  a  city  situat- 
ed at  the  foot  of  Mount  Her- 
mon,  Josh,  xi,  17,  and  xii,  7, 
which  lies  to  the  south  of  Li- 
banus  and  Damascus,  at  the 
north-east  part  of  the  promised 
land.  B^nfrerius  places  this 
town  in  the  valley  between 
Lebanon   and  Herman7.     Lat. 

o  .->      no 
OO,  Ji. 

BAAL-HAZOR,  a  city  in 
the  tribe  of  Ephraim,  where 
Absalom  kept  his  flocks,  2 
Sam.  xiii,  23.  It  lay  between 
Bethel  and  Jericho,  eight  miles 
from  Jerusalem.  Htre  Absa- 
lom had  his  shearing  feast  and 
murdered  his  brother,  because 
he  had  two  years  before  viola- 
ted his  sister,     Lat.  31,51. 

BAAL-HERMON,a  moun- 
tain of  Canaan  near  Lebanon, 
on  the  confines  of  the  country, 
it  is  generally  placed  northward 
of  the  tribe  of  Issachar,  and 
the  great  plain,  1  Chron.  v,  23. 
Some    suppose    it  a    part    of 


BAA 


BAB 


mount  Hermon,  or  that  it  was 
a  temple  of  Baal  on  Hermon. 

BAAL-MEON,  a  city  in 
the  tribe  of  Reuben,  Num. 
xxxii,  38;  1  Chr.  v,  8.  The 
Moabites  took  B  aal-meon  from 
the  Reubenites,  and  were  mas- 
ters of  it  in  the  time  of  Eze- 
kiel,  xxv,  9.  In  the  time  of 
Jerome,  it  was  a  populous  vil- 
lage, near  Baaru  in  Arabia, 
where  were  hot-springs  or 
baths.  It  was  destroyed  by 
the  Chaldeans,  Numb,  xxxii, 
38;  it  seems,  however,  to  have 
been  rebuilt,  and  a  city  of  some 
importance  in  the  time  of  the 
Maccabees.     Lat.  31,  34. 

BAAL-PERAZIM,  the 
place  were  David  put  to  flight 
the  Philistines,  2  Sam,  v,  20. 
It  cannot  be  far  from  Jerusa- 
lem, since  it  lay  in  the  valley 
of  Rephaim.  Some  place  it 
four  miles  from  Jerusalem, 
south-west. 

BAAL-SHALSHISHA,  2 
Kings,  iv,  42,  a  place,  which 
according  to  St.  Jerome,  and 
Eusebius,  is  situated  at  the 
distance  of  fifteen  miles  north 
of  Diospolis,  in  the  tribe  of 
Ephraim  or  Dan. 

BAAL  TAMAR,  the  place 
where  the  children  of  Israel 
engaged  those  of  the  tribe  of 
Benjamin,  Judg.  xx,  33,  which 
according  to  Eusebius  was 
near  Gibcah.  The  Canaanites 
here    worshipped   Baal,    in   a 


grove  of  palm  trees.     Lat.  31, 
52. 

BAAL  ZEPHON,  a  place 
on  the  Red  sea,  "over  against" 
one  of  the  encampments,  of 
Israel  in  the  wilderness,  be- 
tween Migdol  and  the  sea. 
Baalzephon  is  thought  by  ma- 
ny learned  men  to  have  been 
the  name  of  an  idol,  which  was 
supposed  to  keep  the  borders 
of  the  country  and  to  hinder 
their  slaves  from  running  away. 
Zephon  is  thought  to  signify 
to  watch  or  spy;  but  it  is  also 
said  to  signify  north.  This, 
then  might  be  a  temple  stand- 
ing at  the  North  point  of  the 
Red  sea,  where  Suez  now  is. 

BABEL,  or  BABYLON,  a 
term,  Which  in  the  original  im- 
port of.the  word,  signifies  con- 
fusion, and,  therefore,  used  for 
the  name  of  the  city  and  prov- 
ince in  which  the  famous  tower 
of  that  name  was  building, 
when  God  confounded  the  lan- 
guage of  those  men,  who  were 
employed  about  this  edifice,  so 
that  they  could  no  longer  un- 
derstand one  mother.  Gen.  xv, 
9.      See  Babylon. 

The  s\  bils  say,  that  when 
morals  spoke  one  tongue  and 
would  build  a  tower  by  which 
they  might  scale  heaven,  the 
gods  sent  a  whirl  wind  and  o- 
verturned  the  tower,  and  pro- 
duced divers  languages  among 
them.     Various  are  the  senti- 


BAB 


BAB 


ments  of  authors  concerning 
the  manner  in  which  the  con- 
fusion of  languages  at  Babel 
was  effected.  But  as  a  dis- 
quisition of  (hat  kind  is  a  mat- 
ter of  mere  curiosity  and  con- 
jecture,  and  no  part  of  the 
proper  subject  of  this  work,  we 
roust  refer  the  curious  reader 
to  the  commentators,  for  their 
exposition  upon  this  point. 

Some  modern  travellers  pre- 
tend to  have  found  out  the  ru- 
ins of  this  renowned  structure; 
but  they  differ  much  in  their 
accounts,  concerning  the  situ- 
ation of  them.  Some  think 
they  have  met  with  these  ruins, 
about  eighi  or  nine  miles  north- 
west of  Bagdad;  while  others 
pretend  to  have  found  them, 
thirty-six  miles  to  the  south- 
west of  that  city  upon  the  Eu- 
phrates. Others  again  look  for 
them  considerably  lower  upon 
that  river.  They  vary  no  less 
in  their  description  of  these 
ruins;  and  indeed  by  their  sev- 
eral accounts  of  them,  it  is  ob- 
served that  none  of  them  ap- 
pear to  be  the  remains  of  the 
original  tower  of  Babel. 

BABYLON,  the  capital  of 
Chaldea,  built  by  Nimrod, 
Gen  x,  10;  in  the  place  where 
the  tower  of  Babel  was  begun. 
Babylon  being  the  capital  of 
Nimrod's  empire,  its  antiquity 
is  not  to  be  questioned,  and 
indeed  profane  authors  them- 
.10 


selves,  who  knew  nothing  of 
the  scriptures,  make  the  son  of 
Belus,  whom  they  will  have 
to  be  the  founder  of  Babylon, 
to  have  lived  two  thousand 
years  before  Semiramis.  Oth 
ers  ascribe  the  foundation  of  it, 
to  Belus  the  Assyrian,  father 
of  Ninus,  and  others  to  Scmf- 
ramis.  Marsham  brings  down 
the  foundation  of  this  city,  as 
late  as  the  time  of  Nabonassar. 
But  the  opinion  most  general- 
ly followed  and  best  ground- 
ed, is,  that  Nimrod  founded 
it,  Belus  enlarged  it,  and  SemJ 
iramis  added  so  many  great 
works  and  otherwise  adorned 
it,  that  she  might  not  improper- 
ly be  called  the  foundress.  But 
Nebuchadnezzar  was  the  per- 
son, who  put  the  finishing  hand 
to  it,  and  made  it  one  of  the 
great  wonders  of  the  world. 

The  following  is  a  descrip- 
tion of  Babylon  in  its  greatest 
splendor,  chiefly  collected  from 
Herodotus,  who  was  upon  the 
spot,  and  is  the  oldest  and 
most  reputable  author,  that  has 
treated  upon  this  matter.  The 
whole  city,  which  stood  on  a 
large  plain,  consisted  properly 
of  two  parts,  which  were  di- 
vided by  the  river  Euphrates. 
The  walls  were  every  way  pro- 
digious; they  were  in  thickness, 
87  feet,  in  height  350  feet,  and 
in  compass,  480  furlongs;  these 
walls  were  drawn  around  the 


BAB 


BAB 


city,  in  form  of  an  exact  square; 
they  were  surrounded  on  the 
outside,  with  a  vast  ditch,  full 
of  water,  and  lined  with  bricks, 
on  both  sides.     In  every    side 
of  this  great  square,  were    25 
gates,  that  is,   an    hundred    in 
all,  which  were  made  of  solid 
brass;     between     every     two 
gates,  there  were  three  towers, 
and    four    more    at   the   four 
corners,    and   three     between 
each  of  these  corners,  and  the 
next  gate  on  either  side,  every 
one  of  these   towers  was  ten 
feet    higher    than    the    walls. 
From  these  25  gates,   in  each 
side  of  this  great  square,   went 
25  streets  in  straight  lines,  to 
the  gates  over  against  them  on 
the  opposite  side;    so  that  the 
whole  number  of   streets  was 
50,  each  fifteen  miles  long,   of 
which  25  went    one    way    and 
25  the  other,  directly  crossing 
each  other,  at  right  angles;  and 
besides  these,  there  were  also 
four  half  streets,    which    had 
houses  only  on  one   side,   and 
the  wall  on    the  other;    these 
went  around  the  four  sides   of 
the    city    next  the    wails,  and 
were  each  of  them,   200  feet 
broad  and  the  rest  about  150. 
Bv  these  streets  thus  crossing 
each  other,  the  whole  city  was 
cut  into  676  squares,    each  of 
which  was  four   furlongs  and 
a   half  on  every  side.     Round 
these  squares,    on  every  side 


towards  the  streets  stood  the 
houses.  The  space  within, 
in  the  middle  of  each  square 
was  void  ground,  employed  for 
yards,  gardens,  &c. 

A  branch  of  the  river  Eu- 
phrates ran  across  the  city, 
from  the  north  to  the  south 
side:  on  each  side  of  the  river 
was  a  key  on  an  high  wall 
of  the  same  thickness  with 
those  of  the  city.  In  these 
walls  over  against  every  street, 
that  led  to  the  river,  were  gates 
of  brass,  and  from  them  de- 
scents, by  steps  to  the  river. 
The  bridge  was  not  inferior 
to  any  of  the  other  buildings, 
either  in  beauty  or  magnifi- 
cence; and  before  it  was  be- 
gun to  be  built,  they  turned 
the  course  of  the  river  Euphra- 
tes and  laid  its  channel  dry, 
for  the  purpose  of  laying  the 
foundation  more  conveniently, 
and  to  raise  artificial  banks  on 
both  sides  the  river,  to  secure 
the  country  from  those  annual 
inundations,  by  which  it  over- 
flows its  banks.  The  river, 
being  turned  out  of  its  course, 
to  facilitate  these  works,  was 
received  into  a  prodigious  ar- 
tificial lake,  dug,  for  that  pur- 
pose, to  the  west  of  Babylon; 
this  lake  was  52  miles  square, 
and  35  feet  deep,  according  to 
Herodotus,  and  75  according 
to  Megasthenes,  Into  this  lake 
was  the  whole  river  turned  bv 


ARA 


ARA 


an  artificial  canal,  till  the  work 
was  finished.  But  that  the 
Euphrates,  in  the  time  of  its 
increase,  might  not  overflow 
the  city  through  the  gates,  on 
its  side,  this  lake  with  the  ca- 
nal from  the  river,  was  still  pre- 
served. The  water  received 
into  the  lake,  at  the  time  of 
these  overflowings,  was  kept 
there  all  the  g  year  as  in  a 
common  reservoir,  for  the 
benefit  of  the  country,  to  be  let 
out  by  sluices,  at  all  conve- 
nient times,  for  watering  the 
lands.  At  the  two  ends  of  the 
bridge  were  two  palaces,  which 
had  a  communication  with 
each  other  by  a  vault,  under 
the  river;  the  old  palace,  which 
stood  on  the  east  side  of  the  riv- 
er, was  30  furlongs  in  circum- 
ference; and  the  new  palace,  on 
the  other  side  of  the  river,  was 
60  furlongs  in  compass.  It 
was  surrounded  with  three 
walls,  one  within  another,  with 
considerable  spaces  between 
them.  These  walls,  as  also 
those  of  the  other  palace,  were 
embellished  with  an  infinite 
variety  of  sculptures,  represent- 
ing all  kinds  of  animals.  In 
this  best  palace  were  the  hang- 
ing gardens,  so  much  celebrat- 
ed in  history;  these  were  of  a 
square  form,  each  side  being 
400  feet  long.  They  were  car- 
ried up  into  the  air  in  the  man- 
ner of  several  large  terrassess, 


one  above  another,  till  the 
height  equalled  that  of  the  walls 
of  the  city.  The  ascent  was 
from  terrass  to  terrass  by  stairs, 
ten  feet  wide,  and  the  whole 
pile  was  sustained  by  vast  arch- 
es, raised  upon  other  arches, 
one  above  another  and  strength- 
ened by  a  wrall  22  feet  thick. 
On  the  top  of  these  arches 
were  laid  large  flat  stones,  16 
feet  long,  and  four  broad;  these 
were  lined  with  bricks,  closely- 
cemented  together  with  plaster; 
and  that  covered  with  sheets 
of  lead,  upon  which  lay  the 
mould  of  the  garden.  Anoth- 
er of  the  great  works  of  Baby- 
Ion, 'was  the  temple  of  Belus. 
The  riches  of  this  temple  in  m 
statues,  tables,  censers,  cups, 
and  other  sacred  vessels,  all  of 
massy  gold,  were  immense. 
Among  other  images,  there  ♦ 
was  one  of  forty  feet  high, 
which  weighed  one  thousand 
Babylonish  talents  of  gold. 

Not  long  after  the  time  of  Al- 
exander, wrho  died  here,  the  city 
began  to  decline  by  the  building 
of  Seleucia,  about  forty  miles 
above  it,  by  Seleucus  Nicanor, 
who  is  said  to  have  erected  this 
new  city  from  hatred  to  the 
Babylonians,  and  to  have  drawn 
out  of  Babylon  500,000  persons 
to  people  it,  so  that  the  ancient 
city  was  in  the  time  ofCurtius, 
the  historian,  lessened  -one 
fourth  part,  in  the  time  of  Pn- 


BAB 


BAB 


ny  reduced  to  desolation,  in 
the  days  of  St.  Jerome,  turned 
into  a  park. 

Mr.  Rawolf,  who  passed 
through  the  place,  where  stood 
tins  once  famous  city,  speaks 
of  its  ruins  in  the  following 
manner.  "The  village  of 
Elugo,  is  now  situated,  w!vre 
stood  Babylon  of  Chaldea. 
I  could  have  never  believed 
that  this  powerful  city,  once 
the  most  stately  and  renowned 
in  all  the  world,  and  situated  in 
the  fruitful  country  of  Shinah, 
could  have  stood  there,  had  I 
not  seen  by  the  situation  of  the 
place,  by  many  antiquities  of 
great  beauty,  which  are  to  be 
seen,  and  especially  by  the 
bridge  over  the  Euphrates  of 
which  some  piles  and  arches 
ofincredible  strength  are  still 
remaining,  that  it  certainly  did 
stand  there." 

Now  the  reader  may  com- 
pare Isaiah's  description,  of 
the  condition,  to  which  Baby- 
lon should  be  reduced  after  its 
fail  with  the  account  given  of 
its  present  state  by  this  travel- 
ler. "And  Babylon,  the  glory 
of  kingdoms,  the  beauty  of 
the  Chaldees  'excellency,  shall 
be  as  when  God  overthrew 
Sodom,  and  Gomorrah;  it  shall 
not  be  inhabited,  neither  shall 
the  .Arabian  pitch  his  tent 
there,  neither  shall  the  shep- 
herds make  their  folds   there. 


But  wild  beasts  of  the  desert 
shall  lie  there,  and  their  houses 
shall  be  full  of  doleful  creatures, 
and  the  owls  shall  dwell  there, 
and  satyrs  shall  dance'  there. 
And  the  wild  beast  of  the  is- 
land shall  cry  in  their  desolate 
houses,  and  dragons  in  their 
pleasant  palaces,"  Isa.  xiii, 
19,  &c. 

In  unison  with  the  above,  I 
take  from  the  Gazetteer  ol  the 
Eastern  Continent,  a  brief,  but 
more  particular  and  minute  ac- 
count of  the  gradual  decline  of 
Babylon,  and  the  fulfilment  of 
various  prophecies.  Jeremiah 
prophesied  "that  the  mighty 
men  of  Babylon  would  for- 
bear to  fight,  they  have  remain- 
ed in  their  holds;  their  might 
hath  failed;  they  became  as 
women."  Agreeably  to  this, 
Xenophon  tells  us,  that  "when 
Cyrus  came  before  the  place, 
he  could  not  provoke  them  to 
venture  forth,  and  try  the  for- 
tune of  arms,  though  he  sent 
a  challenge  to  the  king."  A 
variety  of  other  circumstances, 
in  the  progress  of  its  destruc- 
tion are  foretold,  which  history 
confirms.  The  same  prophet 
said,  "that  it  should  become 
desolate,  that  it  should  not  be 
inhabited,  that  wild  beasts  of  the 
desert  should  be  there."  Let 
us  examine  if  Babylon  has  fal- 
len; if  these  circumstances  have 
taken  place;  if   so,   then  our 


BAB 


BAB 


faith  in  revelation  is  confirmed. 
Diodorus  Siculus  says,  that  in 

his  time,  but  a  small  part  of  the 
city  was  inhabited.  Its  destruc- 
tion had  then  begun;    it    was 

gradual.  Not  long  after,  S'ra- 
bo  relates  that  the  Persians  had 
demolished  a  part  of  the  city; 
that  the  court  was  removed  to 
Seleucia;  that  the  great  city  had 
become  a  desert.  In  the  time 
of  Pliny,  Babylon,  was  a  place 
of  "solitude."  Maximus  Ty- 
rius  mentions  its  "lying  waste 
and  neglected."  Consta:<itine 
the  Great  says,  he  had  been  an 
eye  witness  of  its  "desolate 
and  miserable  condition."  In 
the  fourth  century  after  Christ, 
Jemme  says,  "Its  wall  served 
as  a  fence,  and  the  city  as  a 
park,  in  which  thekings  of  Per- 
sia kept  wild  beasts  for  hunt- 
ing. In  the  twelfth  century, 
Benjamin,  a  Jew,  asserts  that 
"Babylon  was  laid  waste,  some 
ruins  remaining,  over  which 
men  dared  not  to  pass,  on  ac- 
count of  serpents  and  scorpions. 
In  1574,  Rawolf  says,  "The 
tower  of  Babylon  was  so  ruin- 
ous, so  full  of  venomous  crea- 
tures, that  no  one  dared  ap- 
proach nearer  than  half  a  league, 
except  during  two  months  in 
the  winter."  More  than  two 
thousand  years  before,  a  pro- 
phet had  predicted  this:  "their 
houses  shall  be  full  of  doleful 
creatures;  the  wild  beasts  of  the 


islands  shall  cry  in  their  deso- 
late houses,  and  dragons  in 
their  pleasant  palaces.  Petrus 
Vaiensiswas  there  in  \()IC>;  he 
says,  "there  was  a  heap  of  ru- 
ined buildings,  like  a  mountain, 
which  was  probably  the  tower 
of  Nimrod."  Jannier  savs, 
"in  this  neighborhood  ue  saw 
the  foundation  of  a  city,  and 
some  of  the  walls  standing,  up- 
on which  six  coaches  might  go 
abreast."  The  chronicles  of  the 
country  said, "Here  stood  Baby- 
lon." Mr.  Hanwav  tells  us 
that  in  1743,  "These  ruins 
were  so  effaced,  that  there  was 
hardly  any  vestiges  of  them, 
to  point  out  the  situation  of  the 
city.  Mr.  Jackson  in  1797, 
was  at  Bagdad,  and  says,  that 
at  a  little  distance  are  still  to  be 
seer,  some  ruins  of  ancient  Baby- 
lon;" but  it  seems  he  did  not 
go  to  examine  whether  it  was 
true.  Mr.  Wood,  who  visited 
the  ruins  of  Palmyra  in  1751, 
presumes  to  say,  "There  is  not 
a  stone  to  tell  where  Babvlon 
was  situated."  By  these  brief 
extracts  from  various  travel- 
lers, we  see  how  gradually,  how 
punctually  the  prophecies  res- 
pecting Babylon,  have  been  ful- 
filled. "They  shall  not  take 
of  thee  a  stone  lor  a  corner, 
nor  a  stone  for  foundation;  but 
thou  shalt  be  desolate  for  ever, 
saith  the  Lord."  Lat.  53,  12. 
BABYLONIA,  a   province 


BAS 


BAxM 


of  Chaldea,  or  Assyria, of  which 
Babylon,  was  the  capital.  Here 
Christianity  was  early  received 
by  the  Jews  and  Pagans;  here 
the  apostle  Peter  wrote  one, 
if  not  both  his  letters  to  his  dis- 
persed brethren  of  Judah;  here 
the  Jews,  since  the  destruction 
of  Jerusalem,  have  had  famous 
synagogues. 

BACA.     See  Bekaa. 

BACHUR,  or  Bahurim, 
or  Backer,  or  Bachora,  or 
Choraba,  or  Choramon, 
the  place  had  all  these  names, 
a  village  near  Jerusalem,  in  the 
tribe  of  Benjamin,  on  the  road 
to  Jordan.  Here  Shimei  cursed 
David,  and  sent  stones  at  him. 
Lat.  31,  44. 

BALA,  otherwise  called  Zo- 
hae,  or,ZoAE,  a  city  of  the 
tribe  of  Simeon,  (1  Chr.  ix,15) 
said  to  receive  its  name  Bala, 
that  is,  swallowed  up,  from  its 
being  sunk,  just  at  the  time  as 
Lot  left  if.  This  name,  there- 
fore, was  given  to  the  place 
where  the  city  had  stood,  rather 
than  to  the  city  itself.  Eusebius 
however  says,  the  place  was 
the  only  one,  near  Sodom,  pre- 
served, and  that  it  continued 
in  his  day;  it  stood  near  the 
Dead  Sea,  and  was  a  military 
post  or  garrison  of  the  Romans; 
the  soil  produces  balsam  and 
dates. 

BAMOTH,   Moses    says, 
(Num.  xxi,    19,  20)  that  the 


Hebrews  went  from  Nahaleel 
to  Bamoth,  and  from  Bamoth 
to  the  valley,  which  is  in  the 
country  of  Moab.  Eusebius 
says  Bamoth  is  a  city  of  Moab, 
upon  the  river  Anion.  Here 
was  the  forty-second  encamp- 
ment of  Israel.     Lat.  31,    20. 

BAMOTH-BAAL,  a  city 
beyond  Jordan,which  was  given 
to  the  tribe  of  Reuben,  Josh, 
xiii,  17.  Eusebius  says  it  is 
situated  in  the  plain  where  the 
river  Arnon  runs.    Lat.  31,33. 

BARBARIANS,  in  the  He- 
brew sense,  a  stranger,  who 
knows  neither  the  holy  lan- 
guage, nor  the  law.  TheGreeks 
considered  all  people,  but  them- 
selves, or  those  governed  by 
laws  like  them,  barbarians.  The 
Persians,  Egyptians,  Hebrews, 
Arabians,  Gauls,  Germans,  and 
even  the  Romans,  they  viewed 
as  barbarians.  St.  Luke  calls 
the  people  of  Malta  Barbari- 
ans. St.  Paul  represented  all 
mankind  as  Greeks  or  Barba- 
rians. Political  writers  now 
often  call  those  barbarians,  who 
are  in  that  stage  of  society  be- 
tween the  savage  and  civilized 
state,  that  is,  the  shepherd  state. 
Most  probably  the  word  is  de- 
rived from  berbir,  a  shepherd, 
whence  Barbary,  the  country 
of  the  wandering  shepherds,  or 
of  Barbarians* 

BARIS.     See  Antonio. 

BASCAMA,  orBAScA,  a 


AKA 


ARA 


towjn  in  the  tribe  of  Judah, 
v. lure  Jonathan     Maccabseiis 

was  killed:   1  Macca.  xiii,  23. 
Lat.  32,  10.  ' 
BASHAN,   or  Batanea, 

one  of  the  most  fertile  cantons 
of  Canaan,  which  was  bounded 
on  the  west  by  the  river  Jordan, 
on  the  east  by  the  mountains 
of  Gilead,  on  the  south  by  the 
brook  Jabbok,  and  on  the  north 
by  the  land  of  Geshur.  The 
whole  kingdom  took  its  name 
from  the  hill  of  Bashan,  which 
is  situated  in  the  middle  of  it, 
and  has  since  been  called  Ba- 
tanea. It  had  no  less  than  sixty 
walled  towns,  besides  villages. 
It  afforded  an  excellent  breed 
of  cattle,  and  stately  oaks,  and 
was  in  short,  a  plentiful  and 
populous  country,  given  to  the 
half  tribe  of  Manasseh.  Og, 
king  of  the  Amoiites,  possessed 
the  kingdom  of  Bashan,  when 
Moses  conquered  it.  The  Re- 
phaim  dwelt  in  Bashan.  Sanson. 

BASIOTHIA,orBizjoxH- 
jah,  a  city  of  Canaan,  in  the 
tribe  of  Judah.  (Josh,  xv,  21.) 
The  Septuagint,  instead  of  this 
name,  read,  "their  towns  and 
their  farms." 

BATANEA.    See  Bashan. 

BATHZAKHANAS,  a 
place  situated  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Bethsura,  celebrated 
for  the  battle,  fought  between 
Antiochus  Eupator,  and  Judas 
Maccabeus.  (1  Macca.  vi,  32, 
33.)      Epiphanius    says,    that 


the  prophet  Habbakuk  was 
born  in  this  vicinity. 

BEALOTH,  a  city  in  the 
tribe  of  Judah,  Josh,  xv,  24. 
Lat.  31,  8. 

•  BEER,  which  signifies  a 
well,  is  also  the  name  of  a  city, 
four  leagues  from  Jerusalem, 
in  the  way  to  Sheehem.  (Jud. 
ix,  21.)  Mr.  Maundrel  tells 
us  that  Beer  is  pleasantly  situ- 
ated upon  an  easy  declivity 
facing  the  south,  that  near  the 
foot  of  the  hill  is  a  fountain  of 
excellent  water,  and  that  above 
it  are  the  remains  of  a  church 
erected  by  the  empress  Helena. 

BEER-ELIM,  the  well  of 
the  princes,  (Isa.  xv,  8)  is 
thought  to  be  the  same  with 
that  mentioned  iri  the  book  of 
Numb.xxi,  18,  under  the  same 
name.  Here  the  howling  of 
the  distressed  Moabites  was 
heard,  when  they  were  invaded 
by  the  Assyrians.  Numb. 
xxi,  18;   Isa.  xv,  8. 

BEER  LAHAI-ROI,a  well 
situated  between  Kadesh  and 
Bered,  thus  denominated  by 
Hagar. 

BEEROTH,  a  city  belong- 
ing to  the  Gibeonites,  which 
was  yielded  afterwards  to  the 
tribe  of  Benjamin.  (Josh,  ix, 
17;  2  Sam.  iv,  2.)  Eusebius 
places  it  seven  miles  from  Je- 
rusalem, in  the  way  toNicopo- 
lis.  Maundrel  says,  that  it  en- 
joys a  pleasant  situation,  on  the 
side    of  a  hill  declining  to  the 


BEE 


BEN 


south.  At  the  foot  of  the  hill 
is  a  fountain  of  excellent  water. 
At  the  upper  part  of  the  town 
is  an  old  church,  built  by  the 
empress  Helena.      Lat.  31,51. 

Beerot  ii, the  twenty -eighth 
station,  whence  the  children  of 
Israel,  marched  to  Mosera, 
(Deut.  x,  6)  and  which  Euse- 
bius  places,  at  the  distance  of 
ten  miles  from  the  city  Petra. 
This  place  in  Numb,  xxxiii, 
31,  32,  is  called  Bene-Jaakan, 
instead  of  Beeroth-bene-Ja- 
akan.  It  lies  a  little  north 
from  Ezion-geber. 

BEERSHEBA,  the  well  of 
an  oath,  or  the  well  of  seven,  so 
called,  because  that  Abraham 
made  here  an  alliance  with 
Abimclech,  king  of  Gerar,  and 
gave  him  seven  ewe  lambs,  as 
a  pledge  of  that  covenant,  to 
which  they  had  sworn. 

Bcersheba  was  at  first  given 
by  Joshua  to  the  tribe  of  Judah, 
and  afterwards  a  cession  of  it, 
"was  made  to  Simeon.  Josh. 
xv,  28,  and  xix,  2.  It  was 
twentv  miles  from  Hebron,  to- 
wards  the  south,  and  42  from 
Jerusalem.  The  limits  of  the 
holy  land,  are  often  expressed, 
From  Dan  even  unto  Beer- 
sheba;  2  Sam.  xvii,  11,  &c. 
The  two  places  were  156,  or 
160  Roman  miles  apart,  Dan 
was  the  northern,  and  Beershe- 
ba  the  southern  extremity 
of  the  land.  In  process  of 
time,  a  considerable  town  was 


built  here,  called  by  pagan 
writers  Berzimma,  or  Bersabe. 
The  place,  was  well  fortified, 
when  governed  by  Christian 
princes,  and  as  a  frontier  town 
it  was  considered  a  place  of  im- 
portance. When  the  Romans 
held  this  country,  Beersheba 
was  a  garrison. 

BEKAA,  a  valley  of  Syria, 
anciently  called  Coelo  Syria 
which  separates  the  chain  of 
mountains,  denominated  Anti- 
Libanus,  from  the  Libanus  of 
the  Druses,  or  Maronites,  a 
most  fruitful  district  of  all 
Syria.  But  the  reverberation 
of  the  sun's  rays,  between  the 
mountains,  renders  the  heat 
intense.  The  north  winds, 
however,  cool  the  atmsophere 
and  the  country  is  not  unheal- 
thy. Before  the  earthquake  of 
1759  this  whole  region  was 
covered  with  farms  and  villa- 
ges, but  that  calamity,  and 
the  subsequent  wars  of  the 
Turks,  have  produced  a  gener- 
al desolation.  In  this  vale  is 
situated  the  famous  Balbec. 

BENE-BERAK,  a  town  of 
Canaan  in  the  tribe  of  Dan. 
Joshua  xix,  45. 

BENE-JAAKAN,  a  station 
of  the  Israelites  in  the  desert, be- 
tween Moseroth  andHor-hagid- 
gad.  Numb. xxxiii, 42.  Lat.30. 

BENJAMIN,  this  tribe  lay 
to  the  north  of  Judah,  and 
south  from  Ephraim;  it  had 
the  Jordan  east,  and  the   tribe 


BEN 


.BER 


of  Dan  interposed  between 
Benjamin  and  the  sea.  Jacob 
had  said,  ("Benjaipin  shall 
raven  as  a  wolf,"  and  wolves 
the  men  of  this  tribe  were. 
They  at  different  times,  dis- 
played* the  rude  ferocity  of 
their  courage,  till  they  were 
finally  almost  annihilated  as  a 
people.  Bold  in  their  wicked- 
ness, they  patronized  the  lewd 
wretches  of  Gibeon,  which 
drew  on  them  the  just  ven- 
geance of  all  the  other  tribes. 
Yet  such  was  the  fury  of  their 
courage,  that  twice  with  only 
25,000  men  they  defeated 
360,000  of  the  other  tribes,  and 
slew  40,000.  In  a  third  battle 
they  were  defeated,  and  their 
whole  tribe,  excepting  600 
men,  destroyed.  These  fled 
to  the  rock  Rimmon.  When 
the  other  tribes  had  time  for 
cool  reflection,  they  were  griev- 
ed for  the  almost  entire  extir- 
pation of  their  brother  Benja- 
min. Accordingly  they  pro- 
cured young  women  from  Ja- 
bez  Gilead,  and  from  Shiloh, 
to  be  wives  for  the  600  sur- 
viving Benjamites,  (Judges 
xx,  and  xxi.)  It  was  not  per- 
haps much  more  than  half  a 
century  after  this,  that  Ehud 
arose  and  delivered  the  coun- 
try from  the  Moabites.  Saul 
and  Ishbosheth,  the  first  kings 
of  Israel,  were  of  this  tribe,  so 
were  Modecai  and  Esther.  But 
11 


the  greatest  honor  of  this  tribe 
was  Saul  of  Tarsus,  afterwards 
Paul  the  apostle.  When  this 
tribe  came  from  Egypt  they 
had  35,400  men,  able  to  bear 
arms;  in  the  wilderness  they 
amounted  to  45,600;  when  Da- 
vid numbered  them,  a  little 
before  his  death,  they  were 
about  60,000.  In  this  tribe 
was  the  temple,  and  the  city  of 
Jerusalem.  When  the  other 
ten  tribes  revolted  with  Jero- 
boam, Benjamin  faithfully  ad- 
hered to  Judah  and  the  house 
of  David,  and  shared  in  the 
blessings  of  their  religious  priv- 
ileges. Under  Jehosophat  the 
militia  of  Benjamin  were 
380,000.  After  the  captivity 
vast  numbers  of  them  returned 
to  Jerusalem. 

BEON,  Numb,  xxxii,  3; 
otherwise  Bean,  1  Maccab.  v, 
4;  a  city  beyond  Jordan,  which 
Eusebius  says  belonged  to 
the  tribe  of  Reuben. 

BERA,  See  Beer. 

BEREA,  a  city  of  Macedo- 
nia, where  St.  Paul  preached 
the  gospel  with  great  success, 
Acts  xvii,  10,  13.  Lat.  40,  45. 

BERED,  a  city  of  Palestine, 
not  far  from  Gaza.  The  well, 
where  Hagar  rested  herself, 
flying  from  her  mistress,  was  in 
this  region. 

BERITH,  or  Bar  atres,  a 
city  of  Phoenicia  on  the  Medit- 
erranean, between  Biblos  and 


BES 


BET 


Sldon,  fifty  miles  north  from 
Sidon.  It  is  doubted  whether 
this  place  is  mentioned  in  scrip- 
ture, but  there  are  several  cities 
of  this  name  in  Palestine. 

BEROTH,  a  city  of  Syria 
conquered  by  David,  2  Sam. 
viii,  8;  perhaps  it  was  Berytus 
in  Phoenicia. 

BEROTHAH,orBEROTH, 
a  citv  mentioned  in  Ezekiel, 
xlvii,  16;  thought  to  be  the 
same  with  Beroth  of  Syria. 

BERSABA,  a  town  in  Gal- 
ilee between  upper  and  lower 
Galilee. 

BESETHA,  a  mountain  in 
Jerusalem,  north  from  the  tem- 
ple. 

BESIRA,  or  the  well  of 
Sirah,  two  miles  and  a  half  from 
Hebron. 

BESOR,  a  brook,  1  Sam. 
xxx,  9,  which  falls  into  the 
Mediterranean,  between  Gaza 
and  Rhinocorura.  This  is  the 
brook  of  the  wilderness,  men- 
tioned Amos  vi,  14,  which 
many  have  taken  for  the  brook 
or  river  of  Egypt,  which  is 
spoken  of  in  several  places  of 
scripture,  as  Josh,  xv,  4,  47, 
&c.  and  which  Calmet  thinks 
is  no  other  than  the  Nile,  or 
its  most  eastern  branch.  Dr. 
Shaw  represents  this  as  a  small 
stream,  not  deserving  the  rnme 
of  a  river.  Here  200  of  Da- 
vid's men  remained,  overcome 
with  fatigue,  «whjle  the  other 


400  pursued  those  Amalekites, 
who  had  burned  Ziklag.  It  is 
thought  that  the  Ethiopian 
eunuch  was  .baptized  in  this 
brook,  Acts  viii,  26 — 39.  I 
think  Sanson  correct  in  saying 
this  seems  to  be  sometimes, 
called  the  torrent,  or  river  of 
Egypt.     Lat.  31,10. 

BETAH,  or  Tibhath,  a 
city  of  Syria,  taken  by  David 
from  Hadadezer,  2  Sam.  viii, 
8,  and  thought  to  be  the  same 
with  Beten,  which  Josh,  xix, 
25,  sets  down  as  belonging  to 
the  tribe  of  Asher. 

BETHAB  ARA,  a  place  be- 
yond Jordan,  where  John  the 
Baptist  baptized,  John  i,  28. 
Bethabara,  which  in  the  He- 
brew, signifies  the  house  of 
passage,  is  thought  to  be  the 
place,  where  the  Israelites  pas- 
sed the  river  Jordan,  under 
Joshua;  and  it  is  believed,  that 
there  was  the  common  ford  of 
this  river.  It  is  also  supposed 
by  some,  that  this  is  the  very 
spot  where  John  stood  when  he 
baptized  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
In  the  time  of  Eusebius  many 
were  zealous  to  be  baptized  at 
this  place,  and  resorted  here 
for  the  purpose.  But  some 
writers  suppose  it  was  the 
place  where  Jacob  crossed  the 
Jordan,  a  little  south  from  the 
sea  of  Tiberias.  Lightfoot  says 
much  to  prove,  it  lay  north-east 
from  that  sea. 


BET 


BET 


BETHANATH,  a  city  of 
the  tribe  of  Naphtali,  Josh,  xix, 
38 

^  BETHANIM,  a  village  four 
miles  from  Hebron,  and  two 
miles  from  the  oak  or  pme, 
u  here  Abraham  entertained  the 
angels. 

BETHANY,  a  considerable 
place,  situated  at  the  foot  of  the 
mount  of  Olives,  or  on  the 
mount,  about  fiheen  furlongs 
eastward  of  Jerusalem.  Here  it 
was,that  Martha  andMary  lived, 
with  their  brother  Lazarus, 
whom  Jesus  raised  from  the 
dead,  John  ix,  18;  and  it  was 
here,  that  Mary  poured  the 
perfume,  on  our  Savior's  head. 
Bethany  is  but  a  very  small 
village.  One  of  our  modern 
travellers  acquaints  us,thatnear 
the  entrance  of  the  place,  there 
is  an  old  ruin,  called  the  castle 
of  Lazarus,  supposed  to  have 
been  the  mansion-house,  where 
he,  and  his  sisters  lived.  At 
the  bottom  of  a  descent,  not 
far  from  the  castle,  you  see 
his  sepulchre,  which  the  Turks 
hold  in  great  veneration,  and 
use  it  for  an  oratory,  or  place 
of  prayer.  Here  going  down 
by  25  steps,  you  come  at  first, 
into  a  small  square  room,  and 
thence  creep  into  another,  that 
is  less,  about  a  yard  and  half 
deep,  in  which  the  body  is  said 
to  have  been  laid.  About  a 
bow- shot  thence,  you  pass  by 


the  place,  which  they  say  was 
Mary  Magdalene's  house,  and 
thence  descending  a  steep  hill, 
you  come  to  the  fountain  of 
the  apostles,  which  is  so  cal- 
led, because,  according  to  tra- 
dition, these  holy  persons  were 
wont  to  refresh  here,  between 
Jerusalem  and  Jericho,  as  very 
probably  they  might,  because 
the  fountain  is  close  to  the 
road  side,  and  is  very  inviting 
to  the  thirsty  traveller.  This 
village  was  famous  for  its  figs. 
From  Jerusalem  Jesus  Christ 
having  led  his  disciples  to 
mount  Olivet,  as  far  as  to 
Bethany,  here  he  lifted  up  his 
hands  and  blessed  them,  and 
while  he  blessed  them,  they 
beheld;  he  was  separated  from 
them,  taken  up,  and  carried 
into  heaven,  a  cloud  receiving 
him  out  of  their  sight.  The 
spot  now  shown  for  the  place 
of  our  Lord's  ascension  is  at 
the  top  of  mount  Olivet,  where 
anciently  was  a  large  church, 
built  in  honor  of  that  glorious 
triumph.  An  octagonal  cupo- 
la, eight  yards  in  diameter,  is 
now  standing;  as  they  say,  over 
the  very  spot  where  were  the 
last  footsteps  of  the  divine  Sa- 
vior in  this  world. 

BETH-ARABAH,  a  city 
belonging  to  the  tribe  of  Judah, 
Josh,  xv,  6,  and  afterwards 
given  to  that  of  Benjamin. 
Josh,  xviii,  22. 


BET 


•     BET 


BETHARAN,  orBETHA- 
ram,  Numb,  xxxii,  36,  and 
Josh  xiii,  27,  a  fenced  city  be- 
yond Jordan,  towards  the  Dead 
Sea,  and  afterwards  called  Li- 
vias. 

BETHAVEN,  the  same 
with  Bethel.  This  city  upon 
the  revolt  of  the  ten  tribes,  be- 
longed to  the  kingdom  of  Is- 
rael, and  was,  therefore,  one  of 
the  cities,  where  Jeroboam  set 
up  his  golden  calves;  whence 
the  prophet  Hosea  iv,  15,  in 
derision  calls  it  Bethaven,  the 
house  of  vanity  or'  idols,  in- 
stead of  Bethel,  that  is,  the 
house  of  God,  the  name,  which 
Jkcob  formerly  gave  it,  when 
he  had  the  vision  there  of  the 
mysterious  ladder,  Gen.  xxviii, 
19,  and  the  angels  ascending 
and  descending,  from  heaven 
to  earth. 

BETHBARA,  a  place^  be- 
yond the  river  Jordan.  Judg. 
vii,  24,  thought  to  be  the  same 
with  Bethabara.  It  lay  between 
the  Jordan  and  Dead  Sea.  Here 
Gideon  called  the  people  of 
Ephraim  to  post  themselves  to. 
to  arrest  the  flying  Midianites. 
This  place  was  south  from  the 
sea  of  Galilee.     Lat.  32,  11. 

BETHFASI,  a  city  in  the 
tribe  of  Judah,  which  the  two 
Maccabees,  Simon  and  Jona- 
than, fortified.  1  Mac.  ix,  62, 
64;  and  where  Bacchidcs  be- 


sieged them  without  any  sue- 
cess. 

BETHBAR,  a  city  of  the 
tribe  of  Dan.  1  Sam.  vii,  11. 
In  a  battle  between  the  Israel- 
ites and  Philistines,  the  former 
pursued  the  latter  to  this  place, 
1  Sam.  vii,  11,  and  near  this 
place  Samuel  set  up  his  Eben- 
ezer.  Lat.  31,  52. 
^  BETH-DAGON,  a  city  of 
Canaan  in  the  tribe  of  Asher. 
The  name  imports  house  or 
temple  of  D agon. 

BETH-DAGON,acity  of  Ca- 
naanin  the  tribe  of  Judah;  so  cal- 
led, probably,  because  here,  was 
a  temple  of  Dagon,  before  the 
country  was  conquered  by  the 
Israelites. 

BETHEL,  a  city,  which  lay 
to  the  west  of  Hai,  about  eight 
miles  to  the  north  of  Jerusalem, 
in  the  confines  of  the  tribes  of 
Ephraim  and  Benjamin.  The 
rabbins  tell  us,  that  the  stone 
on  which  Jacob  rested  his  head 
at  Bethel,  was  put  into  the 
sanctuary  of  the  temple,  which 
was  built  after  the  return  from 
captivity;  that  the  ark  of  the 
covenant  was  placed  upon  this 
stone,  and  that  long  after  the 
ruin  of  the  temple,  the  Jews  had 
a  custom  of  lamenting  their  ca- 
lamities upon  it.  The  Mahom- 
etans believe,  their  temple  at 
Mecca  to  be  founded  on  this 
very   stone,  and  have  a  great 


BET 


BET 


veneration  for  it.     Lat.  81,  48. 
BETH-EMEK,   a  frontier 

city  of  Ashcr,  Josh,  xix,  27. 

BETHER.  There  is  mention 
of  the  mountains  of  Bethcr,  in 
the  song  of  Solomon,  ii,  17, 
and  viii,  14.  The  word  Be- 
ther,  which  in  the  2d  chap,  of 
Canticles,  our  translators  of  the 
Bibie,  and  the  author  of  the 
Vulgate,  have  retained,  is  in 
some  Latin  copies  of  the  Bible 
read  Bethel,  instead  of  Bether. 
But  in  the  eighth  chapter  of 
the  Canticles,  the  mountains  of 
Bether,  as  the  Hebrew  has  it, 
is  bv  our  translators,  as  well  as 
by  the  Septuagint,  and  the  au- 
thor of  the  Vulgate  Bible,  ren- 
dered the  mountains  of  Spices. 
Inquiry  has  been  made,  what 
this  Bether  is,  and  how  it  is 
situated;  some  take  it  to  be 
Bethoron,  called  Bether  in  Eu- 
sebius,  Bethara  in  Josephus, 
and  Bcthra  in  an  old  itinerary. 
There  is  frequent  mention  of 
Bether  in  the  writings  of  the 
Hebrews.  It  was  taken  by  the 
emperor  Adrian,  in  the  rebel- 
lion of  Barchochebas,  100  years 
after  Christ.  "The  number  of 
Jews  inclosed  in  it  was  so 
great,"  says  the  Gemara,  "that 
the  blood,  which  run  from  the 
dead  bodies  into  the  sea,  car- 
ried stones  along  with  it  as 
large  as  four  seahs,  (the  seah 
being  a  measure,  that  held  a 
peck  and  a  pint,)  and  that  it 


ran  four  miles  into  the  sea.' 
But  it  is  observed  that  there 
were  two  cities  of  this  name, 
one  twelve,  and  the  other  fifty- 
two  miles  from  Jerusalem.  Lat. 
31,48. 

BETHESDA,  the  Hebrew 
name  for  a  pool  or  public  bath, 
which  had  five  porticos,  piaz- 
zas, or  covered  walks,  around 
it.  This  bath,  for  its  singular 
usefulness,  was  called  Bethes- 
da,  or  the  house  of  mercij,  be- 
cause, as  Pool  in  his  Annota- 
tions observes,  the  erecting  of 
baths  was  an  act  of  great  kind- 
ness to  the  common  people, 
whose  indispositions,  in  hot 
countries,  required  frequent 
bathing;  though  the  generality 
of  expositors  think,  it  had  this 
name,  from  God's  great  good- 
ness to  his  people,  in  giving 
sugIi  healing  virtues  to  waters, 
as  this  pool  had.  However,some 
will  have  the  word  Bethesda, 
to  be  the  sink-house  or  drain, 
because  the  waters  which  came 
from  the  temple  and  the  place 
where  the  victims  were  washed, 
flowed  thither.  Mr.  Mack  night 
in'his  Harmony  of  the  Gospels, 
concludes  that  their  opinion, 
seems  to  be  without  a  proper 
foundation,  who  affirm,  that 
this  pool  served  for  washing 
the  sheep  designed  for  sacrifice, 
before  they  were  driven  into 
the  temple;  and  for  washing 
the  entrails  of  beasts  sacrificed 


BET 


BET 


there;   besides,  he  thinks  it  in- 
consistent with  the  situation  of 
Bethesda,  near  the   sheep  gate 
or   market,    as    our    English 
translators  have  rendered   the 
Greek,   though   some    copies 
have  it  in  the  south-east  wall 
of  the  city;  or  according  to  the 
compilers  of  the  Universal  His- 
tory, in  that  which  was  on  the 
north-east,  a  great  way  from  the 
temple.  However,  this  may  be, 
we  are  told,  John  v,  2,  3,  &c. 
that  in  the  porticos  of  this  bath, 
at  the   time  of  a  certain  feast 
(which  is  generally  supposed 
to  be  the  passover)  there  lay  a 
multitude   of  impotent   folks, 
such  as  blind,  halt,  and  with- 
ered, waiting  for   the  moving 
of  the  water;  for  an  angel  went 
down  at  a  certain  season  into 
the  pool,  and  troubled  the  wa- 
ter; that  is,  moved  it  in  a  sen- 
sible    manner.      Whosoever, 
then,  first  stepped  into  the  pool, 
after  the  troubling  of  the  water 
was  made  whole  of  whatever 
disease  he  had.     Some  writers 
confine  the  miracle  of  the  pool 
of  Bethesda,  to  the  season  of 
this  particular  feast,  mentioned 
ver.  4,  which   our   translators 
render    at    a    certain    season, 
meant  at  that  season;  that  is, 
the  season  mentioned  verse  1. 
That  the  waters  of  Bethesda, 
should   at   this  time  have  ob- 
tained   a    miraculous   healing 
quality,   was,   without  doubt, 


in  honor  of  the  personal  ap- 
pearance of  the  Son  of  God  on 
earth.  Perhaps  it  was  intend- 
ed to  show,  that  Ezekiel's  vis- 
ion chap.  47,  of  waters  issuing 
out  of  the  sanctuary,  was  about 
to  be  fulfilled,  of  which  waters 
it  is  said,  ib.  ver.  9,  "They 
shall  be  healed,  and  every  thing 
shall  -  live  whither  the  river 
cometh." 

But  it  must  be  observed, 
that  the  fourth  verse  of  this 
chapter  of  St.  John,  is  not  in 
the  Cambridge  M.S.  which 
formerly  was  Beza's,  nor  in 
one  or  two  more  of  great  au- 
thority. See  Dr.  Mill's  judg- 
ment in  that  part  of  his  Prole- 
gomena to  which  he  refers  the 
reader  in  his  note  on  the  text. 
But  though  it  should  be  re- 
jected, the  difficulty  for  which 
some  would  have  it  cancelled, 
Mr.  Macknight  observes,  re- 
mains still;  because  the  seventh 
verse  implies,  that  cures  were 
performed  in  this  pool,  and 
that  only  one  at  a  time,  was 
cured,  and  consequently,  that 
these  cures  were  miraculous. 
If  so,  it  is  as  easy  to  conceive, 
that  an  angel  moved  the  water, 
and  gave  it  its  healing  quality, 
as  to  fancy,  those  cures  were 
performed  miraculously  any 
other  way.  Grotius  thinks 
that  the  angel  is  said  to  have 
descended,  not  because  he  was 
ever  seen  to  do  so,  but  because 


BET 


BET 


the  Jews  were  persuaded,  that 
God  brought  such  things  to 
pass  by  the  ministration  of  an- 
gels; so  from  that  violent  mo- 
tion of  the  water,  and  the  cure 
following  it,  the  presence  of  an 
angel  was  with  reason  suppos- 
ed. The  learned  Dr.  Ham- 
mond supposed,  that  the  wa- 
ters became  medicinal  by  being 
impregnated  with  a  healing 
warmth  from  the  blood  and 
entrails  of  the  sacrificed  beasts, 
that  were  washed  there;  and 
that  the  angel  or  messenger  in 
the  text,  is  an  officer  or  ser- 
vant of  the  high  priest,  sent 
by  him  to  stir  the  pool.  The 
great Bartholine  supposes,  that 
these  waters  were  naturally 
medicinal,  and  that  this  com- 
motion was  occasioned  by  an 
extraordinary  fermentation,  of 
some  mineral  in  them;  and 
therefore  he  makes  the  angel 
no  more  than  a  divine  power, 
which  originally  gave  this  effi- 
cacy. See  Whitby' 's  Annota- 
tions, and  Bp.  Smallbrooke }s 
Vindication. 

Whoever  saw  a  circle  of  per- 
sons round  the  springs  of  Balls- 
ton,  waiting  "the  moving  of  the 
waters"  by  the  fixed  air,  at 
which  moment  they  sink  their 
vessels  to  take  the  water  for 
drinking,  without  forcibly  re- 
collecting a  somewhat  similar 
circumstance  at  Bethesda?  May 
not  the  narrative  give  a  sketch 


of  the  popular  opinions  of  the 
Jews?  If  it  were  a  mineral 
spring;  if  at  times  the  gases 
discharged  themselves  with 
violent  ebulitions  of  the  water, 
as  is  common;  if  the  people, 
as  they  doubtless  would,  im- 
agined that  the  water  had  pe- 
culiar virtue,  during  this  agi- 
tation, would  not  the  Jews  as- 
cribe this  to  the  presence  of 
an  angel,  and  would  not  the- 
story  be  related  as  it  is? 

Tertullian  says  that  the  vir- 
tue of  the  pool  ceased,  after 
the  Jews  had  rejected  the  Sav- 
ior, and  a  late  traveller  assures 
us  that  now  it  is  dry.  The  pit, 
which  it  seems  was  once  full 
of  water,  is  120  paces  long,  40 
broad,  and  8  deep.  At  one 
end  is  some  ancient  arches, 
which  the  people  say  are  the 
porches  in  which  ,sat  the  mul- 
titude of  the  lame,  the  halt, 
and  blind. 

BETH-GAMUL,  a  city  of 
the  Moabites,  in  the  tribe  of 
Reuben,  Jer.  xlviii,  23,  the 
Moabites  seized  the  place  a- 
gain,  and  it  was  afterward  rav- 
aged by  the  Chaldeans. 

BETHHACCEREM,  Jer. 
vi,  1,  a  city  situated  on  an  em- 
inence noted  for  its  vineyards, 
between  Jerusalem  and  Teko- 
ah.  Neh.  iii,  14. 

BETH-HOGLA,  the  name 
of  two  places;  one  part  of  the 
tribe  of  Judah,  Josh,  xv,  6,  fix- 


BET 


BET 


ed  by  Eusebius  eight  miles 
from  Gaza;  the  other  (ibid, 
xvii,  21,)  St.  Jerome  places 
eight  miles  from  Jordaa  in  the 
tribe  of  Benjamin. 

BETH-HORON.  There 
is  mention  in  Scripture  of  two 
cities  of  this  name  within  the 
bounds  of  Ephraim.  Josephus 
speaks  of  Beth-Horon,  or  Bai- 
thoro,  as  twelve  miles  and  a 
half  from  Jerusalem.  The 
rabbins  say,  that  the  army  of 
Sennacherib  perished  in  the 
going  down  of  Beth-Horon, 
and  the  way  was  "so  narrow, 
say  theTalmudists,  that  if  two 
camels  attempted  to  go  through 
together,  they  both  fell.  Josh. 
x,  10.  While  the  enemies  of 
Israel  were  flying  before  Josh- 
ua, through  this  narrow  pass, 
and  thronged  together,the  Lord 
cast  great  stones  from  heaven 
upon  them;  and  more  died  by 
the  hail  stones,  than  by  the 
swords  of  Israel.  While  Ces- 
tius  the  Roman  general,  was 
retreating  from  Jerusalem,  the 
Jews  did  not  press  upon  him, 
till  he  reached  this  narrow  de- 
scent, then  they  hurried  upon 
him,  and  overwhelmed  him 
with  their  darts. 

BETH-JESIMOTH,  a  city 
in  the  tribe  of  Reuben,  Josh, 
xiii,  20.  It  was  afterwards 
possessed  by  the  Moabites. 
Ezek.  xxv,  9  foretold  the  des- 


truction of  this,  as  well  as  the 
other  cities  of  Moab.  They 
were  destroyed  by  the  Chalde- 
ans, Josh,  xiii,  20.  Eusebius 
places  this  city  ten  miles  from 
the  river  Jordan. 

BETHLEBAOTH,  a  city 
of  Palestine  in  the  tribe  of  Sim- 
eon, sometimes  called  Leba- 
oth. 

BETHLEHEM,  a  famous 
city  in  the  land  of  Canaan, 
where  King  David  was  born, 
and  where  a  still  greater  King, 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  was 
born.  It  is  sometimes  called 
Ephrath,  or  Ephratah,  and 
sometimes  Bethlehem  Ephra- 
tah, sometimes  Bethlehem  Ju- 
dah,  to  distinguish  it  from  an- 
other Bethlehem  in  the  tribe 
of  Zebulon.  It  lies  about  six 
miles  from  Jerusalem  south  or 
south-west,  in  the  way  to  He- 
bron, as  Eusebius  and  St.  Jer-  , 
orae  tell  us,  who  add,  that  the 
monument  of  Jesse,  father  of 
David,  was  shown  herein  their 
time.  Mr.  Maundrel  tells  us, 
that  about  one  hour  and  a 
quarter's  distance  from  Beth- 
lehem, southward,  are  shown 
those  famous  mountains,  pools, 
and  gardens,  which  are  said  to 
have  been  the  contrivance  and 
delight  of  Solomon.  To  these 
works  and  places  of  pleasure, 
that  prince  is  supposed  to  al- 
lude, Eccl.  ii,  3,  6,  where,  a- 


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BET 


mong  the  instances  of  his  mag- 
nificence, he  reckons  his  gar- 
dens, vineyards,  and  pools. 

The    pools    are   three,  lying 
in  a  row  above  each  other,  so 
disposed,    that   the   waters   of 
the  uppermost  run  into  the  sec- 
ond, and  those  of  the  second 
into  the  third.     Their  figure  is 
quadrangular.    The  breadth  is 
the  same  in  all,  about  90  paces. 
The  first  is  about   160  paces 
long,  the  second  200,  the  third 
220.     They  are   all  lined  with 
wall,  and  plaistcred,  and  con- 
tain  a    great  depth    of  water. 
Close  by  the  pools,  is  a  castle 
of  modern    construction;    and 
about  the  distance  of  140  paces 
from  them,  is  the  fountain  from 
which  they  principally  derive 
their  waters.      This,  the  friars 
insist  is  that  sealed  fountain  to 
which  the  holy  spouse  is  com- 
pared, Cant,  iv,  12.    And  they 
pretend  a  tradition,  that  king 
Solomon  shut  up  those  springs, 
and   kept   the   door   of   them 
sealed  with  his  signet,  that  he 
might  preserve  the  waters  for 
his  own  drinking,  in  their  nat- 
ural freshness  and  purity.  Nor 
was  it  difficult  thus  to  secure 
them, they  rising  under  ground, 
and  having  no  avenue  to  them, 
but  by  a   little   hole,  like  the 
mouth     of    a     narrow     well. 
Through   this   hole,  you   de- 
scend about  four  yards  direct- 
lv  down,  but  not  without  some 
.12 


difficulty;  and  then  arrive  in  a 
vaulted  room  fifteen  paces 
long,  and  eight  broad.  Joining 
to  this  is  another  room,  of  the 
same  form,  but  somewhat  less. 
Both  these  rooms  are  covered 
with  handsome  stone  arches, 
very  ancient,  and  perhaps,  says 
Mr.  Maundre!,  truly  the  work 
of  Solomon.  You  find  here 
four  places,  at  which  the  water 
rises.  From  these  sources  it 
is  conveyed  by  little  rivulets 
into  a  kind  of  bason,  and  from 
thence,  by  a  large  subterrane- 
ous passage  down  into  the 
pools.  In  its  way  to  the  pools, 
an  acqueduct  of  brick  pipes, 
receives  part  of  the  streams, 
and  carries  it  by  many  turnings 
and  windings  about  the  moun- 
tains to  Jerusalem.  The  pools, 
it  is  probable  enough,  may  be 
the  same  with  Solomon's,  there 
not  being  the  like  store  of  ex- 
•  cellent  spring  water  any  where 
else,  throughout  all  the  Holy 
Land. 

What  has  hitherto  been  de- 
scribed lies  south  of  Bethle- 
hem. On  the  west  is  shown 
the  well  of  David,  so  called, 
because  it  is  taken  for  that 
whose  waters  David  so  pas- 
sionately desired,  2  Sam.  xxiii, 
15.  It  is  a  well,  or  rather  a 
cistern,  supplied  only  with  rain, 
without  any  natural  excellency 
in  its  waters.  About  two  fur- 
longs beyond  this  well,  are  re- 


BET 


BET 


mains  of  an  aqueduct,  which 
anciently  conveyed  the  water 
from  Solomon's  pools  to  Jeru- 
salem, and  may  well,  says  Mr. 
Maundrel,  be  allowed  to  be  in 
reality  what  it  is  pretended  for. 
The  aqueduct  consists  of 
stones  perforated.  These  are 
let  into  each  other  with  a  fillet, 
framed  round  about  the  cavity, 
to  prevent  leakage,  and  united 
to  each  other  with  so  firm  a 
cement,  that  they  will  some- 
times sooner  break  through  a 
kind  of  coarse  marble,  than  be 
separated.  This  train  of  stones 
was  covered,  for  its  greater 
security,  with  a  case  of  smaller 
stones,  laid  over  it,  in  very 
strong  mortar.  The  whole 
seems  to  be  endued  with  such 
absolute  firmness,  as  if  it  had 
been  designed  for  eternit}-. 
But  the  Turks  have  demon- 
strated in  this  instance,  that 
nothing  can  be  so  well  wrought, 
but  they  are  able  to  damage 
or  destroy  it.  For  of  this 
strong  aqueduct,  carried  five 
or  six  leagues,  with  such  vast 
expense  and  labor,  you  see 
now  only  here  and  there  a  frag- 
ment remaining. 

Bethlehem  was  a  city  not 
considerable  for  its  extent  or 
riches;  but  was  infinitely  so 
on  account  of  the  Messiah's 
birth. 

Bethlehem  is  situated  upon 
the  declivity  of  a  hill,  or   as 


Mariti  calls  it,  a  lofty  moun- 
tain, about  two  leagues  from 
Jerusalem.  It  is  generally 
visited  by  pilgrims,  and  at 
present  is  furnished,  not  only 
with  a  convent  of  the  Latins, 
but  also  with  one  of  the  Greeks, 
and  another  of  the  Armenians. 
Here  are  shown  you  the  se- 
pulchres of  Jesse  and  David, 
although,  as  Bonfrerius  ob- 
serves, David  was  buried  in 
Jerusalem;  also,  the  very  place, 
where  our  Savior  was  born, 
the  manger  in  which  he  was 
laid,  and  the  cave  or  grot  in 
which  the  blessed  virgin,  hid 
herself  and  her  divine  Babe, 
from  the  malice  of  Herod,  for 
some  time,  before  their  de- 
parture into  Egypt.  The  grot 
is  formed  in  a  chalky  rock,  but 
this  whiteness,  they  will  not 
have  to  be  [natural,  but  occa- 
sioned by  some  miraculous 
drops  of  the  blessed  virgin's 
milk,  which  fell  from  her 
breast,  when  she  was  suckling 
the  holy  infant;  and  so  much 
are  the  inhabitants  of  Bethle- 
hem possessed  with  this  opin- 
ion, that  they  believe  the  chalk 
of  this  grotto  has  a  miraculous 
virtue,  for  increasing  women's 
milk,  and  it  is  taken  very  fre- 
quently for  this  purpose.  Here 
are  shown  you  likewise  the 
chapel  of  St.  Joseph,  the  sup- 
posed father  of  our  Lord,  the 
chapel   of  the   innocents,  and 


BET 


BE! 


also  those   of  St.  Jerome,   St. 
Paula,   and   Eus'oehium.     A- 
bout  half  a  mile  eastward  f."0in 
the  town,  you    see    the    field, 
where     the     shepherds     were 
witching    their    flocks,    when 
they  reeeived  the  glad  tidings 
of  the  Savior's  birth;   and  not 
far  from  the  held,  the  village, 
where  they  dwelt.    Bethlehem 
is    'it    present    a    considerable 
plaec,  from  which  is  a  delight- 
ful prospect.     It  is  surrounded 
with  hills  and  vallies.  The  sit- 
uation is  pleasant.     It  has  sev- 
eral fine  streets,  and  a  church 
■:i  the  form  of  a  cross,  erected 
by    the    famous    Helena,    also 
several  chapels.     In  the  town 
are  GOO  men  able  to  bear  arms, 
100   of  these  are   Christians. 
Six     miles     from     Bethlehem 
were  the  vineyards  of  Engeddi. 
The  complexion  of.  the  people 
is  very  dark,  almost  approach- 
ing   to    black.      The    females 
are  betrothed  as  soon  as  they 
are  born,  and  married  at  twelve 
years    of    age.       They    cover 
their  heads  with    a    long  veil, 
which  flows  loosely  down  their 
backs.     The  sides  and  top  of 
the  mountain  are  enriched  with 
fine    vineyards,    banked    with 
walls,  which  cost  immense  la- 
bor.     The    grapes  are  large, 
and  of  a  rieh  flavor.     Here  are 
figs  and  other  fruit,  which  are 
the  principal  support  of  the  in- 
habitants.    The    soil    is    rich, 
the  fruits  excellent;  their  white 


wine  is  celebrated,  though  it  i 
strong    and     "heady."      Here 
says  a  Mahometan  writer,  "Je- 
sus,  on   whom  be  peace,  wa* 
born  of  his  mother."     It  is   6 
miles    south    from   Jerusalem. 
Lat,  31,  50;    long.   35,  25,  E. 
Bowen,  Adams,  Mariti,  J'olneij. 
BETII-MEON,  a  city    be- 
longing to  the  Moabites,  in  the 
tribe  of  Reuben,    Jer.    xlviii, 
23.       This    is     probably    the 
same  as  Baalmeon.     Not  only 
this  but  all  the  places   in   this 
region  were  possessed  by    the 
Moabites  before  the   people  of 
Israel  took    possession   of  the 
country;  though  the  Amorites 
had  expelled  them,  the  Moab- 
ites seem  to  have  taken  posses- 
sion again,  after  the  ten  tribes 
were     carried     into    Assyria. 
Hence  many  cities,  which  had 
belonged  to    Israel,    as   Hesh- 
bon,  Jazer,  Dibon,  and  others, 
Jeremiah   represented  as  cities 
of  the  Moabites. 

BETH-NIMRAH,  a  city 
of  Judah,  belonging  to  the 
tribe  of  Gad.  Numb,  xxxii. 
36. 

BETHOANNABA,  Cal- 
met  supposes  this  may  be 
Nob,  where  the  tabernacle 
continued  sometime  in  the 
reign  of  Saul. 

BETHOM,  or   Bethoba, 

or  Bethoron,  or  Julias,   ii 

bore  all  these  names,  the  birth. 

place  of  the  prophet  Joel. 

BETH-PALET,  according 


BET 


BET 


to  Joshua  (xv,  27;)  or  Beth- 
phelet,  according  to  Nehemi- 
ah  (xi,  26;)  was  a  city  in  the 
most  southern  part  of  Judah; 
and  one  of  those  which  was 
yielded  up  to  the  tribe  of  Sim- 
eon. 

BETH-PAZZIZ,  a  city  of 
Palestine  belonging  to  the  tribe 
of  Issachar,    Josh,  xix,  21. 

BETH-PEOR,  a  city  of 
Moab,  given  to  the  tribe  of 
Reuben;  Deut.  iv,  46;  where 
the  God  Peor  was  worshipped. 

BE TH-PHAGE,  a  small 
village  of  the  priests,  situated 
on  mount  Olivet,  and  as  it 
seems,  some  what  nearer  Jeru- 
salem than  Bethany.  The 
distance  between  Beth-phage 
and  Jerusalem  is  computed  at 
fifteen  furlongs.  Yet  the  Tal- 
mudists  say  that  a  Beth-phage 
was  within  the  walls  of  Jerusa- 
lem; it  is  possible  a  street  might 
bear  this  name,  which  led  to 
the  Beth-phage,  which  produc- 
ed figs,  without  the  city.  It 
is  uncertain  whether  a  village 
rose,  here,  or  a  number  of 
houses,  or  only  the  habitations 
of  the  gardeners,  who  might 
raise  figs  and  other  fruit  for 
the  Jerusalem  market. 

BETH-BEHOB,  See  Re- 

HOB. 

BETHSAIDA,  a  city  of 
which  there  is  no  mention  in 
the  Old  Testament  though  it 
frequently  occurs  in  the  New, 


the  resson  of  which  is,  that  it 
was  but  a  village,  as  Josephus 
tells  us,  till  Philip  the  Tetrarch 
made  it  a  magnificent  city, 
and  gave  it  the  name  of  Julius, 
out  of  respect  to  Julia  the 
daughter  of  Augustus,  Cesar. 
Its  original  name  in  Hebrew 
imports  a  place  of  fishing,  or 
of  hunting,  and  for  both  these 
it  was  very  commodiously  sit- 
uated. As  it  belonged  to  the 
tribe  of  Naphtali,  a  country  re- 
markable for  a  plenty  of  deer, 
Gen.  xlix,  21;  and  as  it  lay  on 
the  north  end  of  the  lake  Gen- 
esareth,  it  was  so  commodious 
for  the  latter  that  we  find  Peter 
and  Andrew,  who  were  inhabi- 
tants of  this  city,  were  fisher- 
men by  trade.  Wells.  See 
Bethzaidia. 

BETH-SHAN,  or  Beth- 
She  an,  a  city  belonging  to  the 
half  tribe  of  Manasseh,  on  the 
west  of  Jordan,  and  not  far 
from  that  river.  But  the  peo- 
ple of  Manasseh,  were  notable 
to  drive  the  natives  from  this 
place.  It  was  a  considerable 
city  in  the  time  of  Eusebius, 
and  St.  Jerome,  and  was  then 
called  as  it  had  been  for  sever- 
al ages  before,  Scythopolis,  or 
the  city  of  the  Scythians,  as 
the  Sep'tuagint,  Judges  i,  27; 
reads  it.  It  is  supposed  to 
take  its  name  from  tome  re- 
markable occurrence  here, 
when  the  Scythians    made  an 


BET 


BET 


inroad  into  Syria.  It  is  said 
(2  Maccab.  xii,  29;)  to  be  si* 
hundred  furlongs  from  Jeru- 
salem. After  the  battle  on 
mount  Gilboa,  the  Philistines 
took  the  body  of  Saul,  and  fas- 
tened it  to  the  wall  of  Beth- 
shah,  1  Sam  xxxi,  10.  This 
place  was  the  limit  of  Galilee 
south  and  before  the  Babylo- 
nish captivity,  was  reckoned 
within  the  land  of  Israel,  but 
after  that  period  it  was  not  in- 
cluded. The  city  was  a  mile 
and  a  half  from  the  river  Jor- 
dan. Probably  a  district 
round  the  town  bore  the  same 
name  and  mi'ght  be  on  each 
side  of  the  river.  This  city  is 
more  generally  known  by  the 
name  of  Scythopolis. 

BETH-SHEMESH,  a  city 
in  the  tribe*  of  Judah,  belong- 
ing to  the  priests,  Josh,  xxi,  16. 
This  place  was  thirty  miles 
from  Jerusalem.  This  was  also 
the  name  of  a  city  in  the  tribe 
of  Issachar,  Josh,  xix,  22,  and 
there  are  some,  who  take  notice 
of  a  third  city  of  this  name  in 
the  tribe  of  Naphtali,  ib.  38, 
and  Judges,  i,  33. 

Bethshemesh,  was  also  a 
city  of  Egypt;  probably  theHe- 
liopolis  of  the  Greeks,  and  the 
On,  mentioned  Gen.  xli,  45. 
In  the  time  of  Ezekiel  it  retain- 
ed the  same  name,  Ezek.  xxx, 
17.  In  the  temple  here  was  an 
annual  festival  in  honor  of  the 
sun. 


BETHSHITTAH,   ( 
on  pursued  the  Midianites  to 

this  place,  Judges  vii,  22.  It 
probably  lay  in  the  tribe  of 
Manasseh  east  of  the  Jordan. 

BETHZURA,  or  Beth- 
shur.     See  Bethzur. 

BETH-TAPPUAII,  a  city 
in  the  tribe  of  Judah,  Josh.  15, 
53,  situated  in  the  way  to 
Egypt,  fourteen  miles  from 
Raphia,  and  of  course  not  far 
from  the  Nile. 

BETHUL,  a  city  in  the  tribe 
of  Simeon,  Josh,  xix,  4.  Sozo- 
man,  says  the  town  was  popu- 
lous; we  find  a  bishop  of  Bcthe- 
lia  among  those  of  Palestine. 
See  Bethulia. 

BETHULIA,  a  city  cele- 
brated for  enduring  the  siege  of 
Holofernes,  at  which  he  Nvas 
killed  by  Judith. 

Our  modern  travellers  to  the 
Holy  Land, almost  unanimously 
agree,  that  Bethulia  is  situated 
in  the  tribe  of  Zebulun,  about  a 
league  from  Tiberias,  towards 
the  west,  where  they  pretend 
that  some  marks  of  Holofernes's 
camp  are  still  to  be  seen;  but 
this  however  is  certain,  that 
both  Judith  and  her  husband 
were  of  the  tribe  of  Simeon, 
Judith  viii,  1,  and  ix,  2,  and 
for  what  purpose  they  should 
remove  to  so  great  a  distance 
from  their  own  inheritance, 
and  settle  in  a  different  tribe, 
is  not  easy  to  find  out.  Since, 
therefore,  the  scripture    takes 


BET 


BET 


notice  of  a  place  in  the  tribe  of 
Simeon,  named  Bethul,  a  place 
dependent  on  Gaza  of  the  Phil- 
istines, and  famous  for  its  tem- 
ples, which  are  very  remarka- 
ble, both  for  their  antiquity  and 
fine  structure,  (from  whence 
not  unlikely,  it  had  trie  name 
Bethulor  the  house  of  the  Lord.) 
there  is  much  more  reason  to 
conclude,  in  the  opinion  of 
Calmet,  that  this  was  the  place, 
since  the  otherto  vn  which  trav- 
ellers talk  of  in  the  tribe  of 
Zebulun,  must  be  of  too  mod- 
ern a  date,  to  be  the  city  intend- 
ed here;  because  we  find  neither 
Joshua,  nor  Josephus,  nor  Euse- 
bius,  nor  St.  Jerome,  make  any 
mention  of  it.  Caimefs  dis- 
sert, and  comment. 

Bethuj^ia,  a  town  of  Pales- 
tine, in  the  tribe  of  Zebulun,  two 
miles  from  the  Dead  Sea.  The 
learned  author  from  whom  the 
preceding  article  is  extracted 
would  have  saved  himself 
trouble,  if  he  had  examined  the 
seventh  chap,  of  Judith,  and 
would  doubtless  have  con- 
cluded that  there  were  two 
towns  of  this  name,  and  also 
have  felt  more  charity  for  mod- 
ern travellers.  In  the  third 
verse,  the  camp  of  Holofernes 
is  said  to  have  extended  from 
Bethulia  to  Cyamon,  which  is 
over  against  Esdrelon.  Esdre- 
lon  or  Jezreel,  we  all  know, 
was  not  in  the  tribe  of  Simeon, 
but  in  that  of  Issachar,  border- 


ing 0:1   the  tribe  of   Zebulun, 
ntar  the  Dead  Sea. 

BETHZAIDA,  or  Beth- 
s  a  i  d  \ ,  s  ee  Bethsa  ida .  "Woe 
unto  thee  Chorazin;  woe  Unto 
theeBethsaida,  for  if  the  migh- 
ty works  had  been  done  in 
Tyre  and  Sidon,  which  have 
been  dor.e  in  you,  they  had  a 
great  while  ago  repented,  sit- 
ting in  sackcloth  and  ashes." 
This  "woe"  has  long  since 
been  executed.  Hence  we 
may  infer  that  Jesus  Christ 
did  not  speak  without  author- 
ity. God  has  punished  th<  m 
for  their  disregard  of  J.-sus 
Christ.  Five  or  six  poor  cottages 
are  all  which  now  remains  of 
this  populous  town.  Topo- 
grahic  Diet. 

BETH-ZUR,  or  Beth  su- 
ra, a  city  belonging  to  the 
tribe  of  Judah,  Josh,  xv,  53; 
being  opposite  to  soutli  Eclom, 
and  a  place  of  great  strength, 
defending  the  passage  into  Ju- 
dah, on  the  south  side  of  Idu- 
mea.  We  read  in  the  second 
book  of  Maccabees,  xi,  5;  that 
Bethsura  was  only  five  fur- 
longs from  Jerusalem,  but  this 
is  an  obvious  mistake;  Eusebi- 
us  places  it  at  the  distance  of 
twenty  miles  from  Jerusalem, 
in  the  way  towards  Hebron. 
At  the  foot  of  mount  Bethzur 
is  a  spring  where  'it  is  si«id  the 
eunuch  of  queen  Candaec  was 
baptized. 
Bethzur,  or  Bethsur,    sign;- 


BliZ 


BEZ 


the  house  of  the  rock,  or  the 
temple  on  the  rock.  The 
rock  or  mountain,  the  original 
refuge  of  mankind,  are  objects 

,i  commemorated  on  med- 
al."!). 

BETOMESTttAM,     or 

BeTOM  ASTHEM,  (Jlldltl)    '.V,  6, 

and  xv,  4;)  a  city  of  Judah, 
over  against  Esdraelon,  near 
Doathim. 

BETQNIM,  a  city  of  the 
the  tribe  of  Gad,  Josh.  13,  26; 
towards  the  north  extremity  of 
this  tribe,  and  bordering  on 
Manasseh. 

BEZEK,  a  city  in  the  tribe 
of  Judah.  Eusebius  and  St. 
Jerome,  say,  that  there  were 
two  cities  of  this  name  in  their 
days,  pretty  near  one  another, 
about  seventeen  miles  from 
Sichem,  in  the  way  to  Scytho- 
polis,  or  Bethshan.  Calmet  is 
of  opinion  that  Bezek  was  situ- 
ated, near  the  passage  of  the 
river  Jordan  at  Bethshan;  and 
Wells  thinks,  that  there  was 
no  more  than  one  city  of  this 
name,  which  was  in  the  tribe 
of  Judah.  About  100  years 
since,  this  was  a  small  village. 
Lat.32,  21. 

BEZER,  or  Bozra,  or 
BosTRA,a  city  beyond  Jordan, 
given  by  Moses  to  the  tribe  of 
Reuben,  Deut.  iv,43;  and  de- 
signed by  Joshua  (chap,  xx, 
ver.  8;)  to  be  a  city  of  refuge. 
The  scripture  speaking  of  Be- 


,  generally  adds,  in  the  wil- 
derness, because  it  lay  in  Ara- 
bia Deserta,  and  the  eastern 
part  of  Edom,  encomposed  on 
all  sides  with  deserts.  Isaiah 
xxxiv,  6;  threatens  Bozra  with 
very  great  calamities.  "The 
sword  of  the  Lord  is  filled  with 
blood,  and  their  land  shall  be 
soaked  with  blood;  the  smoak 
thereof  shall  go  up  for  ever; 
thorns  shall  come  up  in  her 
palaces,  and  there  shall  the 
great  owl  make  her  nest,  and 
the  vultures  be  gathered."  He 
also  describes  a  conqueror  re- 
turning from  Bozra,  with  his 
garments  all  dyed  in  blood. 
This  conqueror  is  believed  by 
some  to  be  Judas  Maccabeus, 
who  took  this  city,  and  made 
great  ravages  in  it,  killing  all 
the  males,  he  found  there, 
plundering  the  city,  and  then 
setting  it  on  fire.  Jeremiah 
likewise  (chap,  xlviii,  ver.  24, 
25,  and  xlix,  13,  22,  &c,  threat- 
ens Bozra  in  a  terrible  manner, 
and  it  is  likewise  believed  by 
some,  that  these  menaces,  were 
accomplished  when  Nebuchad- 
nezzar carried  his  arms  into 
Edom,  and  the  neighboring 
provinces  five  years  after  the 
taking  of  Jerusalem.  We 
know  not,  saith  a  learned  writ- 
er, that  any  vestige  of  this  city 
remains  at  the  present  time. 
Eusebius  places  Bozra,  at  four 
and  twenty  miles  from    Adraa 


BOT 


BOG 


or  Edrai.  This  city  is  said  to 
belong  sometimes  to  Reuben, 
sometimes  to  Moab,  and  some- 
times to  Edom,  because,  as  it 
was  a  frontier  town,  to  these 
three  provinces,  it  sometimes, 
was  in  the  hands  of  one,  and 
sometimes  of  the  other,  as 
force  or  chance  of  war  decided. 
There  are  Bishops  of  Bozra, 
whose  names  are  subscribed  to 
the  decrees  of  several  councils. 
Some  Geographers  allow  sev- 
eral cites  of  this  name.  Lat. 
31,43. 

BEZETH,  a  city  on  this 
side  Jordan,  which  Bacchides 
supposed,  and  threw  all  the  in- 
habitants into  a  great  pit,  1 
Mace,  vii,  19. 

BEZETHA,  a  division,  or 
district  of  Jerusalem,  situated 
on  a  hill,  encompassed  with 
good  walls,  being,  as  it  were,  a 
new  city  added  to  the  old.  It 
was  in  the  north  part  of  the 
city. 

BEZOR,  SeeBEsoR. 

BIBLUS,  a  city  of  Phoeni- 
cia, See  Biblos. 

BILE  AM,  a  city  in  the 
tribe  of  Manasseh,  on  the  other 
side  of  Jordan.  It  was  given 
to  the  Levites  of  Koath's  fam- 
ily.    1  Chr.  vi,  70. 

*  BITHYNIA,  forms  one  of 
the  districts  of  Natolia  and  is  the 
nearest  province  to  Turkey  in 
Europe,  being  separated  only 
by  the  strait   called   Thracian 


Bosphorus.  Its  principal  cit- 
ies are  Prusa,  Nice,  and  Nic  • 
omedia.  This  province  lies 
on  the  south  of  the  Euxine  sea, 
west  of  Pontus  and  Galatia, 
north  of  Asia  proper,  and  east 
of  the  Propontis.  It  was  famed 
in  the  time  of  the  Argonautic 
expedition;  which  might  be 
during  the  reign  of  Rehoboam, 
if  not  much  earlier.  It  is  now 
called  Becksangil;  and  if  culti- 
vated would  be  a  fruitful  coun- 
try. When  Paul  first  travelled 
for  Europe,  the  Holy  Ghost 
allowed  him  not  to  preach  here, 
Acts  xvi,  7.  But  afterwards 
a  church  was  planted,  and  a 
number  of  Jews  and  others  be- 
lieved, 1  Pet.  i,  1;  the  centuri- 
ators  of  Madgeburgh  trace  the 
history  of  Christianity  here  till 
the  10th  century:  nay  there 
still  remain  some  vestiges  to 
the  present  time.  At  Nice  in 
this  province,  was  held  the 
first  general  council;  also  the 
fourth  general  council  at  Glial* 
*  cedon,  on  the  strait  of  Constan- 
tinople. 

BOCHIM,  the  place  of 
weepers.  It  is  certain  that  the 
battle  between  David  and  the 
Philistines,  in  the  valley  of 
Bochim  was  fought  near  Je- 
rusalem, wherefore  unless  two 
places  are  distinguished  by  the 
name  Bochim,  it  must  be  al- 
lowed this  was  near  Jerusa- 
lem. 


! 


ftYB 


C&A 


BOIIAN,  a  great  rock  men- 

ned  Joshua  xviii,  17.   "The 
-'one  of  ;i  man  named    Bohan, 
10  was  of  the  tribe  <>i  Reuben. 
i  his  mighr  be  a  boundary,  or 
I  might  be  setup  to  commem- 
orate some  remarkable  event, 
like  that  of  Jacob  at  Bethe!  and 
many  others  in  different  quar- 
ters of  the  woiid^|s* 

BOZKZ,  the  nine  of  a  rock, 

which  Jonathan  the  son  of  Saul, 

limbed  up,  when   he  went  to 

attack  the  Philistines.   1   Sam. 

15,  4. 

BOZHATH,  a,  city  in  the 
tribe  of  Judah.    Josh,  xv,  39. 

JLat.   O  I,  O  /. 

BOZRA,     or    Bezer,     or 
son,    a  town  of  Palestine, 
60  miles  south-west  from  Da- 
mascus. 

BUZ,  a  region  of  Arabia, 
perhaps  on  the  border  of  Idu- 
mea.      Lat.  27,  40. 

BYBLOS,  a  city  of  Pheni- 
i  i,  lying  between  Sklon  and 
Orthosia,  famous  for  the  wor- 
ship   of  Adonis.      The    river 
lonis  having  its  source  in  Li- 
oauus,  passes  by  this  town.  At 
ain  seasons,  it  overflows  its 
inks,  and  from  a  species  of  red 
th,    over  which  it  runs,  the 
water  becomes   red   as  blood. 
So  ne  are  of  opinion,  that  the 
;  ncicnts  of  Gebal,  so  skilful  in 
itime     affairs,     mentioned 
Kzek.  xxvii,  were  the  citizens 
«f  Bvblos,  in  the  Hebrew  called 
13 


Gebal.  The  'own  was  situated* 
at  the  foot  of  .Lebanon,  on  the 
Mediterranean,    opposite      to 

some  of  the  ancient  cedars  now 
remaining:  most  of  the  people 
are  Turks,  who  have  three 
mosques;  the  Christians  have 
one  church.  Lat.  34,17.  Lon. 
36,  20.     La  Rouge.    IMciak, 

CABBON,  a  city  in  the 
tribe  of  Judah.  Josh,  xv,  40. 
Lat.  Si,  37. 

CABLL,  the  name,  which 
Hiram  king  of  Tyre,  gave  to 
the  twenty  cities  in  Galilee, 
given  him  by  Solomon,  for  the 
great  services  he  had  rendered 
him,  in  building  the  temple. 
(1  Kings  ix,  13.)  It  is  but  rea- 
sonable to  suppose,  that  they 
lay  near  to  lyre,  of  which  Hi- 
ram  was  king. 

CADUMIM,  a  brook  of  Pa- 
lestine, mentioned  in  Judges  v, 
21,  having  its  source  in  mount 
Tabor.     Lat  32,  37. 

CAIPH A,  a  town  at  the  foot 
of  mount  Carmel,  on  the  north 
side  of  the  bay  of  Ptolemais, 
fifteen  miles  from  Acre,  by 
land,  round  the  head  of  the  bay 
it  is  thirty  miles. 

CiESARfiA,  a  city  of  Pa- 
lestine of  the  first  rank,  which 
after  being  greatly  decayed, 
was  rebuilt  by  Herod  the  Great, 
and  thus  called  in  honor  of  Au- 
gustus Caesar,  being  before 
called  the  tower  of  Strato.  This 
city  stood  on  the  sea  <;ide,  oji 


CMS 


CAL 


the  coast  of  Phoenicia,  between 
Dor  and  Joppa,  upon  the  pass 
into  Egypt,  and  was  very  con- 
venient for  trade,  but  had  a  bad 
harbor.  To  remedy  this,  he 
ordered  a  mole  to  be  made,  in 
the  form  of  a  half  moon,  and 
large  enough  to  contain  a  royal 
navy.  It  was  200  feet  long, 
and  the  stones  were  50  feet 
long,  18  wide;  the  water  120 
feet  deep.  The  buildings  of 
this  town,  were  all  of  marble. 
This  city  was  six  hundred  fur- 
longs from  Jerusalem.  Here 
it  was,  that  king  Agrippa  was 
smitten  of  the  Lord,  for  not 
giving  God  the  glory,  when 
the  people  saluted  him  as  God. 
Cornelius  the  centurion,  who 
was  baptized  by  St.  Peter,  lived 
at  Cassaria,  Acts  x,  1,  Sic. 
There  Philip  the  deacon,  with 
his  four  maiden  daughters,  had 
their  habitation.  At  Cassarea, 
the  prophet  Agabus  foretold  to 
Paul,  that  he  would  be  bound, 
and  confined  by  his  enemies,  at 
Jerusalem.  The  same  apostle 
continued  a  prisoner  two  years 
at  Ca3  area,  till  he  was  con- 
ducted to  Rome,  where  he  had 
appealed  to  Nero's  tribunal. 
At  Ccesarea,  Eusebius,  the  ec- 
clesiastical historian,  was  born. 
It  is  40  miles  north  from  Acre, 
and  30  south  from  Joppa,  and 
75  north-west  from  Jerusalem. 
Lat.  32,  37. 

CCESAREA   PHILIPPI, 


once  called  Paneas  and  Dan,  a 
town  of  Palestine,  at  the  head 
of  the  Jordan, 20  miles  east  from 
Damascus,  and  one  hundred, 
north-east  from  Jerusalem.  See 
Dan.  The  woman  healed  by 
our  Savior,  (Matt,  ix,  20)  lived 
in  this  town.  It  is  reported, 
that  on  her  return,  she  grateful- 
ly erected  a  statue  in  honor  of 
her  Benefactor.  Julian  dis- 
placed it,  and  set  his  own  in  its 
place.  But  the  Christian  in- 
habitants, removed  the  statue 
of  Christ  into  their  church, 
that  of  Julian,  was  destroyed  by 
lightning.     Lat.  33,  17. 

CALAH,  a  city  of  Assyria, 
built  either  by  Asher  or  Nim- 
rod,  Gen.   10,  12. 

Calah,  a  country  about  the 
land  of  the  river  Lycus.  It  is 
probable,  that  the  country  took 
its  name  from  its  capital,  Ca- 
lah. Pliny  mentions  a  people 
called  Clarista,  through  whose 
country  the  Lycus  has  hs 
course. 

CALEB,  a  cannon  in  the 
tribe  of  Judah,  in  which  the 
cities  of  Kirjath-sepher  and  He- 
bron, were  situated.  1  Sam. 
30,  14. 

CALNEH,  a  city  ik\  the  land 
of  Shinah,  built  by  Nimrod, 
and  the  last  city  mentioned 
(Gen.  x,  10)  as,  belonging  to 
his  kingdom.  It  is  believed 
to  be  the  same  with  Cab.o, 
mentioned  in  Isaiah  x,   9,  and 


GAL 


CAN 


Willi  Canch  in  EzeJcxXvii,  23. 
Probably  it  was  in  Mesopota- 
mia, since  these  prophets  join 
it  with  Haran,  Eden,  Assyria, 
and  Chilmad,  which  carried  on 
a  trade  with  Tyre.  It  is  said 
by  the  Chald.ee  interpreters,  as 
also  by  Eusebius  and  Jerome, 
to  be  the  same  with  Ctesiphon, 
standing  upon  the  Tigris,  about 
three  miles  frorp  Selcueia,  and 
that  i'or  some  time  it  was  the 
capit.il  of  the  Partisans,  and 
greatly  enlarged  by  Pucorus, 
one  of  their  kings. 

CALVARY,' or  as  it  is  cal- 
led in  Hebrew,  Golgotha, 
that  is,  a  place  of  skulls.  It 
was  a  small  eminence  or  hill,  to 
the  north  of  mount  Zion,  to  the 
west  of  the  ancient  Jerusalem, 
and  being  appropriated  to  the 
execution  of  malefactors,  was 
therefore  shutout  of  the  walls, 
as  an  execrable  and  polluted 
place;  but  since  it  has  been  an 
altar,  on  which  propitiation  has 
been  made,  for  the  world,  it  has 
recovered  itself  from  that  infa- 
my, and  has  always  been  rev- 
erenced and  resorted  lo,  with 
such  devotion  by  all  Christians, 
that  it  has  drawn  the  city  round 
it,  and  now  stands  in  the  mid- 
dle of  Jerusalem;  a  great  part 
of  the  Hill  of  Zion  being  shut 
out  to  make  room  for  mount 
Calvary.     See  Jerusalem. 

This  mount,  is  likewise  hon- 
ored with  a  stately  church,  e- 
rected   by  Helena,  mother  to 


Constantine  the  Great,  called 
the  church  of  the  sepulchre,  as 
being  built  over  the  place, 
where  our  Lord's  sepulchre 
was.  This.church  is  enriched 
with  abundance  of  magnificent 
ornaments,  and  mount  Calvary- 
is  more  honored  by  Christians, 
than  old  Jerusalem  ever  was 
by  the  children  of  the  syna- 
gogue. 

CAMON,  a  city  in  the  tribe 
of  Manasseh,  on  the  other  side 
of  Jordan,  Judg.  x,  5.  Lat. 
32,  34. 

CAMAN,  a  city  of  Pales- 
tine,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Jor- 
dan, situate  on  a  great  plain, 
six   miles  from  Lego. 

CAMP  OF  DAN,5  in  the 
Holy  Land,  between  Zorah  and 
Lshtaol,  Judg.  xiii,  25. 

CANA  OF  GALILEE,  a 
Utile  town  where  Jesus  per- 
formed his  first  miracle,  (John 
ii,  12.)  This  is  called  Cana  of 
Galilee,  to  distinguish  it  from 
Caua  or  Kana,  mentioned  in 
Joshua  xix,  28,  belonging  to 
the  tribe  of  Asher,  not  far  from 
Sidon,  and  much  farther 
north,  than  Cana  of  Galilee, 
which  lay  in  the  tribe  of  Zeb- 
u ion,  and  not  far  from  Naz- 
areth. This  was  a  small  town 
in  the  time  of  St.  Jerome. 
Concerning  the  present  state  of 
Cana  in  Galilee,  Arvieux  says, 
that  though  it  was  formerly  a 
city,  it  is  now  a  village,  almost 
deserted.     Here  is  a    church 


CAN 


CAN 


built  by  Helena  in  the  place, 
where  the  marriage  feast  was 
held.  It  is  a  building  of  wrought 
stone,  forty  paces  long,  and 
twenty  wide.  The  roof  is  sup- 
ported by  a  row  of  columns. 
The  building  is  yet  entire,  but 
used  as  a  mosque:  On  the  doors 
of  the  court  are  sculptured  va- 
ses, or  water  pots,  to  represent 
those,  which  held  the  water, 
changed  to  wine.     Lat.  32,49. 

CANA,  was  also  a  place  in 
the  tribe  of  Asher. 

Cana,  the  name  of  a  brook 
on  the  confines  of  Ephraim  and 
Mannasseh.  ' 

CANAAN,  Land  of,  the 
country  so  named  from  Ca- 
naan, the  son  of  Ham.  The 
land  of  Canaan  lies  between 
the  Mediterranean  Sea  and  the 
mountains  of  Arabia;  on  the 
south  it  is  bounded  by  the 
wilderness  of  Paran,  Idumea, 
and  Egypt;  on  the  west  by  the 
Mediterranean,  called  in  He- 
brew the  great  sea;  to  the  north 
by  the  mountain  of  Libanus. 
Its  length,  from  the  city  of 
Dan,  (since  called  Cacsaria 
Philippi,  or  Paneadis,  which 
stands  at  the  foot  of  these 
mountains)  to  Beersheba,  is 
about  sixteen  hundred  fur- 
longs, or  200  miles,  and  its 
breadth  from  the  Mediterra- 
an  sea,  to  the  eastern  borders, 
is  eighty  miles.  This  coun- 
try, which  was  first  called  Ca- 
naan, from   Canaan  the  son  of 


Ham,  whose  posterity  posses- 
sed it,  was  afterwards  called 
Palestine,  from  the  people, 
which  the  Hebrews  call  Philis- 
tines, and  the  Greeks  and  Ro- 
mans, corruptly,  Palestines, 
who  inhabited  the  sea  coast. 
It  likewise  hud  the  name  oi 
the  Land  of  Promise,  from  the 
promise  God  made  Abraham 
of  giving  jit  to  him;  that  of  the 
Land  of  Israel,  from  the  Israel- 
ites having  made  themselves 
masters  of  it;  that  of  Judah, 
from  the  tribe  of  Judah,  which 
was  the  most  considerable  of 
the  twelve;  and  lastly  the  hap- 
piness it  had  of  being  sancti- 
fied by  the  presence,  actions, 
miracles,  and  death  of  Jesufc 
Christ,  has  given  it  the  name 
of  the  Holy  Land,  which  it  re- 
tains to  this  day. 

The  first  inhabitants  of  this 
land,  therefore,  were  the  Ca- 
naanites,  who  were  descended 
from  Canaan,  and  the  eleven 
sons  of  that  patriarch;  here 
they  multiplied  exceedingly; 
trade  and  war  were  their  first 
occupations,  these  gave  rise  to 
their  riches,  and  the  several 
colonies,  scattered  by  them, 
over  almost  all  the  islands  and 
maritime  provinces  of  the 
Mediterranean.  The  measure 
of  their  idolatry  and  abomina- 
tions was  completed,  when 
God  delivered  their  country 
into  the  hands  of  the  Israelites, 
under   Joshua.     As  God  had 


CAN 


GAN" 


"  mded  this  people,  who 
long  before  had  been  cursed 
by  him,  to  be  treated  with  the 
utmost  rigor,  J<;shua  extirpa- 
ted great  numbers  of  them; 
and  Obliged  the  rest  to  fly, 
e  into  Africa,  some  into 
Greece;  Nay,  there  are  some 
writers,  who  stem  persuaded, 
that  many  of  them  went  into 
Germany  and  Selavonia,  and 
that  o'herseame  imo  America. 
But  Calmet  thinks  they  with- 
drew into  Africa.  In  St. 
Athanasius'  time  the  Africans 
still  said  they  were  descended 
from  the  Canannites.  It  is 
agreed,  that  the  Punic  tongue 
was  almost  entirely  the  same 
with  the  Canaankish,  and  He- 
brew language. 

The  colonies,  which  Cad- 
mus carried  into  Thebes,  in 
Bceotia,  and  his  brother  Cylix 
into  Cilicia,  came  from  the 
stock  of  Canaan.  The  isles 
of  Sicily,  Sardinia,  Malta,  Cy- 
prus, Corfu,  Majorca,  and 
Minorca,  Gades,  arid  Ebusics, 
are  thought  to  have  been  peo- 
pled by  the  Canaanites.  Bo- 
chart,  in  his  large  work  entitled 
Canaan,  has  set  all  this  matter 
in  a  good  light;  and  F.  Calmet 
has  taken  some  pains  to  in- 
quire particuLuly  into  what 
country  the  Canaanites  retired, 
after  their  expulsion  from  their 
own  by  Joshua,  and  has  ex- 
amined the  several  arguments 
produced  by  those,  who  affirm; 


that  they  settled  iri  Armenia. 
Those,  who  are  inclined  to 
know  what  particular  towns 
and  territories  of  Canaan  fell 
to  the  share  of  each  tribe  of 
the  Hebrews,  upon  the  division 
of  this  land  among  them  by 
Joshua,  will  find  the  necessary 
information  in  the  course  of 
this  work.  We  shall  make  this 
one  remark,  which  Masius  in 
his  commentary  furnishes  us, 
viz.  that  as  Jacob  and  Moses, 
at  the  approach  of  their  death, 
foretold  the  very  soil  and  situa- 
tion of  every  particular  country, 
that  should  fall  to  each  tribe, 
so  upon  this  division  by  lots,  it 
accordingly  came  to  pass.  To 
the  tribe  of  Judah,  there  fell  a 
country  abounding  with  vines 
and  pasture  grounds,  (Gen. 
xlix,  11.)  To  that  of  Asher, 
one  plenteous  in  oil,  iron,  and 
brass,  (Dent,  xxxiii,  24,  25. 
To  that  of  Naphtali  one 
extending  from  the  west  to 
the  south  ofJudea,  (ib.  ib.  23.) 
To  that  of  Benjamin,  one  in 
which  the  temple  was  after- 
wards built.  To  those  of  Ze- 
bulon  and  Issachar,  such  as  had 
plenty  of  seaports,  (Gen.  ib. 
13. )  To  those  of  Ephraim  and 
Mannasseh,  such  as  were  re- 
nowned for  their  precious 
fruits;  (Dent.  ib.  14)  and  to 
those  of  Simeon  and  Levi  no 
particular  countries,  the  former 
had  a  portion  with  Judah,  and 
the  other  was  scattered  among- 


CAN- 


CAP 


the  several  tribes.  It  must 
needs  be  the  height  of  inso- 
ience  or  stupidity  not  to  ac- 
knowledge the  Divine  inspira- 
tion in  these  predictions,  and 
the  Divine  direction  in  those 
lots.  See  Judea.  Many  of  the 
old  inhabitants  of  the  north- 
west of  the  land  of  Canaan,  par- 
ticularly on  '.he  coast  of  Tyre 
and  Sidon,  were  not  driven  out 
by  the  children  of  Israel,  whence 
this  tract  seems  to  have  retained 
the  name  of  Canaan,  a  great 
while  after  the  other  parts,  in- 
habited by  the  Israelites,  had 
lost  that  name.  The  Greeks 
called  this  tract,  inhabited  by 
the  old  Canaanites,  along  the 
Mediterranean  sea,  Phoenicia; 
the  more  inland  parts,  as  being 
inhabited  partly  by  Canaanites, 
and  partly  by  Syrians,  Syro- 
phoenicia;  and  hence  the  wo- 
man said  by  St.  Matthew  (xv, 
22)  to  be  a  woman  of  Canaan, 
whose  daughter  Jesus  cured,  is 
said  by  St.  Mark,  (vii,  26)  to 
be  a  Svrophcenician. 

CANAANITES,  people  de- 
scended from  Canaan,  whom 
the  Israelites  drove  from  their 
country.  Procopius  says,  that 
they  first  retreated  into  Egypt, 
and  gradually  penetrated  the 
continent  of  Africa,  where  they 
built  many  cities,  and  spread 
themselves  over  vast  regions, 
till  they  reached  the  strait  of 
Gibraltar,  preserving  their  old 
language  with  little  alteration. 


This  author  adds,  that  in  the 
ancient  city  of  Tongis,  found- 
ed by  them,  were  two  great 
pillars  of  white  stone,  near  a 
large  fountain,  inscribed  with 
Phoenician  characters;  "We 
are  people  preserved  by  flight 
from  that  robber  Jesus  (Joshua) 
the  son  ofNaver,  who  pursued 
us."  In  the  time  of  Athansius, 
the  Africans  continued  to  say> 
that  they  were  descended  from 
the  Canaanites;  when  asked 
their  origin,  they  answered 
Canani.  It  is  agreed  that  the 
Punic  tongue  was  nearly  the 
same  as  the  Canaanitish  and 
Hebrew.  Noah  denounced  a 
curse  of  the  basest  servitude 
against  Canaan.  The  truth  of 
which  their  whole  history  con- 
firms. 

CAPERNAUM,  a  city  cel- 
ebrated in  the  gospels,  being 
the  place  where  Jesus  usually 
resided,  during  the  time  of  his 
ministry.  It  stood  on  the 
coast  of  the  sea  of  Galilee,  in 
the  borders  of  Zebulon  and 
Naphtalim,  Matt,  iv,  15,  and 
consequently  towards  the  up- 
per part.  It  took  its  name, 
no  doubt,  from  an  adjacent 
spring  of  great  repute,  and 
which  according  to  Josephus, 
was  by  the  natives  called  Ca- 
pernaum. As  the  spring  might 
be  some  inducement  to  the 
building  of  the  town,  so  its  be- 
ing a  convenient  place  to  sail 
from  Galilee,  to  any  part  en 


CAP 


C!A? 


the  other  side  of  the  sen,  might 
be  some  motive  to  our  Lorfl 
lor  removing  fiom  Naza- 
reth, and  making  this  the  place 
of  his  most  constant  residence. 
Upon  this  account  Capernaum 
tHrtts  highly  honored,  and  said 
by  our  Lord  himself,  to  be  ex- 
alted unto  heaven;  but  because 
it  made  no  right  use  of  this 
signal  favor,  it  drew  from  him 
the  severe  denunciation,  that  it 
should  be  brought  doivn  to  hell, 
Matt,  xi,  23;  which  has  cer- 
tainly been  verified;  for  so  far 
is  it  from  being  the  metropolis 
of  all  Galilee,  (as  it  once  was) 
that  it  consisted  long  since,  of 
no  more  than  six  poor  fisher- 
men's cottages,and  may  perhaps 
be  now  totally  desolate.     JFclls. 

Yet  probably  its  ruin  was 
gradual.,  and  by  natural  means. 
In  the  time  of  Jerome  it  was 
a  town.  In  the  seventh  and 
eighth  centuries,  it  still  exist- 
ed; but  though  the  Divine 
thrcatcnings  are  slow  in  their 
execution,  they  are  certain.  No 
such  town  as  Capernaum  now 
exists.  Bonfrerius  says  it  was 
most  advantageously  situated 
on  the  lake  at  the  entrance  of 
the  Jordan,  and  that  its  name 
denoted  the  Fair  village,  or  vil- 
lage of  consolation.  Lat.  32,44. 

1 C API! AR- JAMA,  a  place 
in  the  tribe  of  Naphtali. 

CAPHAR-SALAMA,    or 
C  a  v  u  a  bsSja  fl  a  w  a  ,  a  place  not 


far  from  Jerusalem,  near  which 
a  battle  was  fought  between  Ju- 
das and  Nieanor,  who  wasvan- 
quished  and  lied,  with  the  loss 
of  five  thousand  troops,  1  Mace. 
vii,31.  Its  name  signifies  the 
village  of  peace. 

CAPHAR-SOREK,  a  town 
of  Palestine.  It  is  thought  to 
have  been  named  from  the 
brook  or  vallev  of  Sorek,  where 
Delilah  lived.' 

CAPHTOR,  the  island 
Caphtor,  whence  came  the 
Caphtorims,  otherwise  called 
the  Cherethims  or  Cherethites, 
or  Philistines,  Gen.  x, 14;  Deut. 
ii,  23;  Jer.  xlvii,  4;  and  Amos 
ix,  7.  The  generality  of  in- 
terpreters believe,that  by  Caph- 
tor was  signified  Cappadocia; 
and  that  the  Philistines  and 
Cherethims  came  from  thence. 
But  F.  Calmet,  endeavors  to 
show,  that  they  were  originally 
from  the  isle  of  Crete. 

The  manners,  arms,  relig- 
ion, and  gods  of  the  Cretans, 
and  Philistines  were  the  same. 
The  arms  of  the  one  and  the 
other  were  bows  and  arrows. 
Dugon. 

Wells  supposes,  that  the 
Caphtorims  came  from  Egypt, 
and  .that  the  name  Caphtor 
seems  still  to  be  preserved  in 
an  old  city  of  Egypt,  named 
Coptus;  and  Sanson  places 
Caphtor  between  Egypt  anc 
the'land  of  Canaan.  Lat.  30. 


CAR 


CAll 


CAPPADOCIA,  a  prov- 
ince of  Asia  Minor,  to  whom, 
with  several  other  people,  St. 
Peter  directs  his  first  epistle. 
It  was  bounded  west  by  Gala- 
tia,  south  by  Armenia,  east  by 
the  mountains  of  Anti-Taurus. 
Though  the  inhabitants  of  this 
country  were  anciently  notori- 
ous for  their  wickedness;  after 
the  introduction  of  Christianity 
among  them,  several  great  and 
good  men  did  honor  to  Cap- 
padocia.  Among  these  were 
two  Gregories,  Basil  and  St. 
George.  Christianity  flourished 
here  till  about  the  ninth  century, 
nor  is  it  now  whollv  extinct. 

CARCHEMISH,  a  town 
upon  the  Euphrates,  belonging 
to  the  Assyrians.  Necho,  king 
of  Egypt,  took  it  from  the  king 
of  Assyria,  2  Chron.  xxxv,  20. 

CARIA,  a  south-western 
district  of  Asia  Minor.  Its 
western  part  was  called  Doris, 
and  occupied  by  Grecian  col- 
onies. In  Doris  was  Miletus. 
Carpenter. 

CARMEL,  a  city  in  the  tribe 
of  Judah, situated  on  a  mountain 
of  the  same  name, in  the  southern 
part  of  Palestine,  Josh,  xv,  5B. 
St.  Jerome  says,  that  in  his 
time  the  Romans  had  a  garri- 
son in  this  city.  Upon  this 
mountain,  Saul  returning  from 
his  expedition  against  Amalek, 
erected  a  triumphal  arch,  1 
Sam.  xv,  12.      Carmel  is  ten 


miles  from  Hebron  to  the  «. 

Carmel,  a  mountain  to  the 
south  of  Pcolemais,  and  the 
north  of  Dora,  upon  the  Med- 
iterranean. At  the  foot  of  this 
mountain,  on  the  north  side 
run  the  Kishon;  and  a  little 
further  the  river  Beleus.  Jose- 
phus  makc-s  Carmel  to  be  a 
part  of  Galilee,  but  it  belonged 
rather  to  the  tribe  of  Manasseh, 
and  to  the  southern  part  of  the 
tribe  of  Asher,  Josh,  xv,  26. 
On  the  side  next  the  sea,  there 
is  a  cave  shown,  where  some 
suppose  the  prophet  Elijah  de- 
sired Ahab  to  bring  Baal's  false 
prophets,  when  the  fire  from 
heaven  descended  upon  the 
burnt  sacrifice,  1  Kings  xviii. 
It  is  a  rocky  mountain  2000 
feet  high,  once  cultivated,  but 
now  overgrown  with  brambles, 
wild  vines,  and  olive  trees.  On 
the  summit  is  a  chapel,  dedi- 
cated to  the  prophet  Elijah, 
from  which  is  an  immense 
prospect  over  sea  and  land.  It 
is  20  miles  south  of  Tyre,  and 
70  north  from  Jerusalem.  Lat. 
32,40. 

Both  Tacitus  and  Suetonius 
speak  cf  the  god  of  Carmel; 
whom  Vespasian  went  to  con- 
sult when  he  was  in  Judea;  but 
they  tell  us  there  was  neither 
temple  nor  statue  upon  the 
♦mountain;  that  there  was  < 
altar,  plain,  and  even  then  ven- 
erable for  its  antiquity.     This 


CAR 


CAR 


altar  of  Carmel  had  its  original 
from  the  altar  of  God,  which 
the  ancient  Hebrews  erected, 
and  which  Elijah  repaired, when 
he  summoned  Ahab  and  his 
false  prophets  :o  appear  there. 
This  altar  the  heathen  held  in 
such  veneration,  that  when  they 
became  masters  of  the  country, 
they  did  not  presume  to  place 
an  image  near  it.  They  even 
repaired  to  it  as  to  an  oracle. 
As  Thevenot  tells  us,  mount 
Cai  mel  is  ten  miles  from  Acre. 
At  die  foot  of  the  mountain 
stands  the  village  Caiphas, 
wliicn  was  formerly  a  town. 
Here  is  a  convent  of  barefoot- 
ed Carmelites,  a  sort  of  monks 
so  named.  Thevenot  found 
here  two  French  fathers,  and 
an  Italian  brother,  who  had 
been  twenty  years  there.  They 
observe  very  severe  rules;  they 
are  removed  from  all  worldly 
conversation;  they  neither  eat 
flesh  nor  drink  wine,  and  if 
such  supports  become  neces- 
sary, they  must  go  to  another 
place.  Nor  do  they  suffer  pil- 
grims to  eat  flesh  in  their  con- 
vent, though  they  may  drink 
wine.  This  convent  is  not  on 
the  top  of  the  mount,  where 
was  a  very  fine  monastery  be- 
fore the  Christians  lost  the  Ho- 
ly Land,  the  ruins  of  which 
are  still  to  be  seen;  but  it  is  a 
very  little  one,  somewhat  lower. 
Two  or  three  monks  fill  it. 
14 


who  would  have  much  ado  to 
subsist,  if  they  had  not  alms 
given  them.  They  say,  that 
it  is  the  place  where  the  proph- 
et Elijah  lived;  and  that  their 
church,  which  is  neatly  cut  in 
the  rock,  is  the  spot  where  he 
sometime  abode.  About  the 
convent  is  a  pretty  hermitage. 
Though  the  convent  be  very 
small,  it  contains  a  commodi- 
ous and  neat  apartment,  in 
which  pilgrims  lodge;  but  they 
must  not  exceed  the  number 
of  six.  At  the  distance  of  a 
league  from  the  convent,  is  a 
well,  which  the  prophet  Elijah 
is  said  to  have  caused  to  spring 
out  of  the  ground,  and  a  little 
over  it  is  another,  reported  to 
be  no  less  miraculous;  the  wa- 
ters of  both  are  very  pleasant 
and  good.  Close  by  the  last 
fountain,  are  stately  ruins  of 
the  convents  of  St.  Bocard, 
who  was  sent  thither  by  St. 
Albert,  patriarch  of  Jerusalem, 
to  reform  the  hermits,  who  liv- 
ed there,  without  rule,  or  com- 
munity. 

Not  far  from  thence  is  the 
garden  of  the  stone  melons, 
concerning  which  they  tell  }rou, 
that  Elijah  passing  that  way, 
desired  a  melon  from  a  man, 
who  was  gathering  them,  who 
in  contempt  replied  to  the 
prophet,  that  they  were  stones, 
and  not  melons,  upon  which 
all  the  melons  were  immediate- 


CAR 


CAS 


|y  turned  into  stones.  Le  Bruyn 
tells  us,  that  these  stone  mel- 
ons have  the  same  shape  on 
the  outside,  as  natural  ones, 
and  if  opened,  they  have  the 
same  cavities,  as  the  true  ones; 
they  have  also  some  smell, 
which  is  pleasant. 

Near  the  convents  are  shown 
the  grots  of  the  prophets,  Eli- 
jah and  Elisha;  there  is  a  third, 
also,  but  it  is  walled  up.  Lower 
down  the  mountain  is  the  cave, 
where  the  prophet  Elijah  in- 
structed the  people.  It  is  cut 
very  smooth  in  the  rock,  both 
above  and  below,  it  is  about 
twenty  paces  in  length,  fifteen 
in  breadth,  and  very  high,  and 
I  think,  says  Thevenot,  that  it 
is  one  of  the  finest  grots,  that 
can  be  seen.  The  Turks  have 
made   a   little    mosque  there. 

Mount  Carmel,  says  D'Ar- 
vieux,  advances  considerably 
into  the  sea,  and  forms  a  cape  or 
promontory,  the  most  elevated 
of  any  on  the  coast;  the  smaller 
mountains  of  this  group  may  be 
cultivated,  and  have  a  good  soil, 
deep  and  fertile,  capable  of  pro- 
ducing in  a  very  uncommon  de- 
gree. There  were  formerly  ma- 
ny more  vineyards  than  at  pres- 
ent. TheC  hristians  who  inhabit 
part  of  these  villages,  cultivate 
only  as  many  vines  as  may  fur- 
nish what  wine  they  want,  and 
dried  grapes  for  their  own  con- 
sumption.    They  neglect  the 


cultivation  of  fruit  trees,  whicb 
here  would  reach  great  excel- 
lence, asjmay  easily  be  inferred 
from  those  here  gathered,though 
chiefly  from  wild  stocks.  They 
have  delicious  melons  and  wa- 
ter-melons. 

Mount  Carmel,  says  Volney, 
is  a  flattened  cone,  and  very 
rocky.  We  still  find  brambles, 
wild  vines,  and  olive  trees, 
which  proves,  that  industry 
has  formerly  been  employed, 
even  on  this  ungrateful  soil. 
On  the  summit  is  a  chapel,  ded- 
icated to  the  prophet  Elias, 
which  affords  an  extensive 
prospect  over  the  sea  and  land. 
To  the  south  the  country  pre- 
sents a  chain  of  rugged  hills, 
on  the  top  of  which  are  oak, 
and  fir  trees,  the  retreat  of  wild 
boars  and  lynxes.  As  we  turn 
towards  the  east,  at  6  leagues 
distance,  we  perceive  Nasra, 
or  Nazareth,  so  celebrated  in 
the  gospels.     Lat  31,7. 

CASIPHIA.  Ezra  viii,  17, 
says,  that  being  on  the  point 
of  returning  to  Judea,  he  sent 
to  Iddo,  who  dwelt  at  Casiphia. 
Calmet  is  of  opinion  that  he 
meant  Caspius,  near  the  Cas-. 
pian  Sea,  between  Media  and 
Hyrcania,  where  there  were 
many  captives.  Others  think 
this  distance  to  be  too  great 
for  such  a  mission,  and  sup- 
pose it  must  have  been  near 
Babylon. 


CAS 


CEN 


CASLUHIM.  The  Cask, 
him  are  not  improperly  thought 
to  have  been  settled  in  the 
country  east  of  Egypt,  called 
Cisiotis,  where  is  a  mount 
Casius;  both  which  retain 
somewhat  of  the  Casluhim. 
And  this  situation  is  confirmed 
by  what  Moses  adds,  that  from 
them  sprang  the  Philistines; 
who  in  process  of  time  made 
themselves  masters  of  the  ad- 
joining tract,  the  land  of  Ca- 
naan. This  people  descended 
from  Mizraim,  a  son  of  Ham. 
Egypt  is  sometimes  calledMiz- 
raim,  after  the  name  of  one  of 
its  principal  settlers. 

CASPHIN,  a  town  on  a 
lake,  6  miles  from  Jamnia,  fa- 
mous in  the  wars  of  the  Mac- 
cabees. , 

CASPHOR,  a  city  in  the 
land  of  Gilead,  taken  by  Judas 
Maccabeus,  1  Mace,  v,  26,  and 
thought  it  to  be  the  same  with 
Heshbon. 

CASPIAN,  this  word  is  not 
mentioned  in  Scripture;  but 
some  have  supposed,  that  it 
was  meant,  (Ezra  xi,  17)  "I 
sent  then  to  Iddo,  the  chief  of 
those,  who  dwell  at  Casiphia." 
It  is  said  that  Artaxerxes  and 
others  transplanted  a  great  num- 
ber of  Jews  into  Hyrcania, 
near  the  Caspian  sea.  Grosus 
tells  us,  that  these  Jews  were 
very  much  increased  in  his 
time,  and  were  in  hopes  of  re- 


turning to  Judea,  the  land  of 
their  fathers'  sepulchres.  This 
author  says  that  Alexander  the 
Great  shut  up  a  great  number 
of  Jews,  within  the  Caspian 
gates.  Ezra,  on  his  march 
from  Babylon  to  Palestine,  was 
desirous  of  having  some  Nethi- 
nims  to  serve  in  the  temple; 
that  is,  servants,  dedicated  or 
devoted  to  the  lower  or  menial 
services  of  the  temple.  He, 
therefore,  sent  to  Iddo,  the  head 
of  these  Nethinims,  who  were 
probably  at  work  in  the  mines 
of  the  Caspian  mountains,  be- 
tween Media  and  Hyrcania.  He 
obtained  two  hundred  and  fifty- 
eight  persons. 

CASPIS,  mentioned  in  2 
Macca.  xii,  13,  is  also  thought 
to  be  the  same  with  Heshbon, 
in  the  tribe  of  Reuben.  This 
town  was  not  far  from  Jamnia; 
it  was  a  strong  city,  fenced 
about  with  walls,  and  inhabited 
by  people  of  divers  countries. 

CEDRON,  "a  temporary 
torrent  or  brook,  running  in 
the  valley  between  Jerusalem 
and  mount  Olivet.  It  is,  how- 
ever, a  brook  only  in  the  win- 
ter, or  immediately  after  great 
rains,  being  entirely  dry  at  all 
other  times.      See  Kidron. 

CENCHREA,  was  the  east- 
ern port  of  Corinth,  almost  nine 
miles  distant.  This  was  a  con- 
siderable town;  it  enjoyed  the 
privilege  of  coining  money,  and 


CHA 


CHE 


here  very  early  was  planted  a 
Christian  church.  St.  Paul 
respectfully  mentions  one  of  its 
female  members. 

CHALDEA,  a  country  of 
Asia,  known    in  the  most  an- 
cient times  by  the  name  Shi- 
nah,  Shinar,  Sec.  lies   between 
30    and  35    degrees  of  north 
latitude;  and  was  bounded,  ac- 
cording  to   Ptolemy,  on    the 
north,  by  Mesopotamia;  on  the 
east  by  the  Tigris;  on  the  west 
by  Arabia    Deserta;     on    the 
south  by  the  Persian  gulf,  and 
part   of  Arabia    Felix.      The 
metropolis  of  Chaldea  was  Bab- 
ylon, whence  the  country  more 
immediately  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  this  city,  was  generally, 
by  profane  writers,  termed  Bab- 
ylonia.    The  name  Chaldea  is 
no  where  to  be  met  with  in  the 
Hebrew     text;    the     Hebrew 
word  being  Chasdim,  whence 
Josephus  thinks,  and  Dr.  Wells 
is  of  the    same  opinion,    that 
the  name  of  Chaldea  was  taken 
from  Chesed,   one  of  the  sons 
of  Nahor,    Abram's     brother. 
The  Babylonians  were  famed 
for  learning,   particularly    the 
Chaldeans,  who  were,  as  is  said, 
their  priests,  their  philosophers, 
astronomers,  astrologers,  sooth- 
sayers, &c.  and  in  respect  to 
this  pretended  claim  to  learning 
and   supernatural    knowledge, 
the  Chaldees  are  distinguished 
from  the  Babylonians,  and  are 


said  to  have  inhabited  a  region 
peculiar  to  themselves,  next  t< 
the  Arabians,  and  the  Persiai 
gulf. 

As  the  Chaldees  were  pecu- 
liarly the  men  of  learning  in  this 
nation,  so  the  Babylonians, 
properly  so  called,  appliet 
themselves  to  the  arts.  See 
Babylon  and  Assyria.  Th< 
bounds,  which  we  have  assign- 
ed to  Chaldea  are  taken  froi 
profane  writers;  but  in  the  sa- 
cred Scriptures,  it  is  plain  that 
Chaldea,  certainly,  at  some  pe- 
riods, advanced  further  north, 
and  included  part  of  Mesopo- 
tamia, particularly,  it  may  be 
supposed  along  the  Tigris. 
Acts  vii,  "The  God  of  glory 
appeared  to  our  father  Abra- 
ham, when  he  was  in  Mesopo- 
tamia, before  he  dwelt  in  Char- 
ran,  and  said  unto^  him,  "Get 
thee  out  of  this  country.  Then 
came  he  out  of  the  land  of  the 
Chaldees,  and  dwelt  in  Char- 
ran."  Here  we  see  that  "A- 
bram  was  in  Mesopotamia," 
and  "came  out  of  the  land  of 
the  Chaldees;"  therefore,  some 
part  of  Chaldea  must  have 
been  in  Mesopotamia. 

CHARACA,  a  city  of  the 
tribe  of  Gad,  whence  Judas 
Maccabeeus  drove  Timotheus, 
2  Mace,  xii,  17. 

CHEBAR,  a  river  in  Chal- 
dea, where  the  prophet  Ezekiel 
saw  several  of  his  visions.    It 


CHE 


CHE 


is  thought  by  some  to  have 
been  a  kind  of  canal,  cut  from 
the  Tigris  to  the  Euphrates;  or 
it  may  be  a  river,  which  has  its 
rise  near  the  head  of  the  Tigris, 
running  through  Mesopotamia 
to  the  south-west,  and  falling 
into  the  Euphrates,  a  little 
south  of  Charchemish.  Brown. 

CHELMON,  a  city  oppo- 
site to  Esdraelon,  near  which, 
part  of  Holofernes'  army  was 
encamped,  before  he  went  to 
lay  siege  to  Bethulia,  Judith 
vii,  3. 

CHEPHIRAH,  a  city  of  the 
Gibeonites,  afterwards  given 
up  to  the  tribe  of  Benjamin, 
Josh,  ix,  17;  xviii,  26. 

CHERETHIM,  a  people, 
supposed  to  be  the  same  as  the 
Philistines.  David's  life  guard 
were  Cherethites  and  Pelethi- 
tes.  Perhaps  he  chose  to  ven- 
ture himself  in  the  hands  of 
foreigners,  rather  than  of  his 
own  countrymen;  or  possibly 
his  guard  might  be  so  denom- 
inated from  adopting  the  arms, 
discipline,  or  dress  of  those 
warlike  tribes. 

CHERITH,  a  brook,  which 
according  to  Jerome,  was  on 
the  east,  or  beyond  Jordan; 
it  falls  into  this  river  below 
Bethsan.  Near  this  brook,  and 
in  the  valley,  through  which  it 
runs,  the  prophet  Elijah  lay 
concealed  for  some  time,  to  a- 
void  the  persecution  of  Jezebel; 


and  here  the  ravens,  every 
morning  and  evening,  brought 
him  bread  and  meat,  1  Kings 
xvii,  3,  4.  But  others,  and  I 
think  for  a  good  reason,  sup- 
pose it  to  be  a  western  branch 
of  Jordan.  God  says  to  Elijah, 
"Get  thee  hence,  and  turn  thee 
eastward,  and  hide  thyself  by 
the  brook  Cherith."  Here  the 
expression,  turn  thee  eastward, 
evidently  implies  that  Elijah 
was  on  the  xvest  side  of  Jordan, 
for  had  he  been  on  the  east  side, 
thus  to  have  gone  to  a  brook, 
which  ran  on  the  east  side, 
Avould  have  been  to  turn  west- 
ward, unless  the  prophet  had 
been  already  in  the  angle,  be- 
tween the  two  streams.  Thus 
the  case  is,  after  all,  doubtful. 
Calmet  places  it,  as  an  eastern 
branch,  and  Wells  and  Kimp- 
ton  suppose  it  a  western  branch 
of  the  Jordan.  I  think  it  was 
on  the  confines  of  Ephraim 
and  Benjamin.  Whether  the 
birds  carried  the  food  immedi- 
ately to  him,  or  whether  they 
only  carried  it  to  their  own 
young,  and  the  prophet  had  ad- 
dress to  climb,  and  take  a  share 
with  the  young  eagles  or  ravens, 
has  been  a  question  among 
learned  men.  I  have  hardly 
faith  to  believe,  with  Mr.Brown, 
that  the  birds  brought  "the 
bread  and  flesh  from  some 
person's  table." 

CHESALON,  a  city  in  the 


CHI 


CHI 


tribe  of  Judah,  Josh,  xv,  10, 
thought  to  be  the  same  as 
Jearim. 

CHESIL,  a  city  in  the  tribe 
of  Judah,  Josh,  xv,  30.  Euse- 
bius  calls  it,  Exalus,  and  places 
it  in  the  southern  part  of  Judah, 
and  ten  miles  from  Diocesa- 
ria.  Calmet  says  it  was  a  city 
on  the  side  of  mount  Tabor. 

CHESULLATH,  a  city  sit- 
uated  on  the  side  of  mount  Ta- 
bor, Josh,  xix,  18. 

CHEZIB,  this  is  thought 
to  have  been  the  same  place 
with  that  called  Achzib,  in 
Josh,  xv,  44,  and  in  Micah  i, 
14.  Jerome  and  Eusebius  say 
it  was  situated  near  Ad u  11am, 
which  was  a  little  west  from 
Hebron. 

C  H  I D  O  N,  the  threshing 
floor  of  Chidon  is  the  place 
where  Uzzah  was  suddenly 
struck  dead,  for  having  rashly 
laid  his  hands  upon  the  ark, 
which  tottered  in  the  cart,  ( 1 
Chr.  xiii,  9.)  In  the  second 
book  of  Sam.  vi,  6,  this  thresh- 
ing floor  is  called  the  threshing 
floor  of  Nachon.  We  do  not 
know  whether  the  names  of 
Nachon  and  Chidon,  are  the 
names  of  men  or  places. 

CHIMHAM,  a  town  of  Pa- 
lestine, six  miles  from  Jerusa- 
lem, in  the  vicinity  of  Bethle- 
hem. This  place  David  gave 
to  Barzillai  the  good  old  Gil- 
eadite. 


CHIOS,  an  island  in  the 
Archipelago,  next  to  Lesbos. 
It  is  over  against  Smyrna,  and 
is  not  above  four  leagues  dis- 
tant from  the  Asiatic  continent. 
From  Troas,  St.  Paul  went  on 
foot  to  Assos,  where,  with  St. 
Luke,  and  the  rest  of  the  com- 
pany, that  were  come  thither 
by  sea,  he  embarked,  and 
thence  came  to  My telene;  then 
passing  by  Chios,  he  arrived  at 
Samos,  (Acts  xx,  15.)  But 
it  does  not  appear  from  history, 
that  any  church  was  gathered 
here  for  a  long  period  after  the 
age  of  the  apostles.  Even  in 
the  fourth  Christian  century, 
human  sacrifices  were  continu- 
ed here;  but  in  subsequent 
ages,  we  find  churches,  and 
their  bishops  attending  the  gen- 
eral councils. 

In  the  isle  of  Chios  the  Chris- 
tians now  enjoy  more  freedom, 
than  in  any  part  of  the  Turkish 
dominions.  A  Turk  here  can- 
not strike  or  abuse  a  Christian, 
without  being  exposed  to  pun. 
ishment.  They  carry  the  cross 
in  procession,  and  enjoy  their 
religion  with  all  freedom.  The 
island  was  anciently  celebrated 
for  its  marble,  its  figs,  and 
wine.  It  was  celebrated,  as 
the  paradise  of  Greece.  The 
island  is  80  miles  in  circuit, 
and  has  about  60  towns  and 
villages.  The  soil  is  fertile, 
well  watered,  and  yields  annu- 


CHI 


CHI 


ally  170  tons  of  wine.  They 
also  export  large  quantities  of 
turpentine  or  mastic,  the  best 
in  the  world.  In  this  they  pay 
their  tribute  to  the  Grand  Seign- 
or;  they  also  export  olive  oil. 
But  little  rain  falls  here,  yet 
every  thing  is  plenty.  They 
manufacture  silk,  tapestry,  sat- 
in, damask,  &c.  Earthquakes 
are  frequent.  The  wealthy  are 
idle;  the  men  of  business  are 
sharpers,  and  the  sciences  are 
neglected.  The  men  have  dis- 
agreeable countenances;  the 
women  are  beautiful,  and  white 
as  the  jessamine,  which  they 
wear.  The  population  of  the 
island  is  50,000  of  which  the 
greater  part  are  Greeks,  2000 
are  Turks,  1000  are  Catholics, 
and  a  few  are  Jews.  The  Lat- 
ins have  301  churches,  and  the 
Greeks  500.  In  this  island  is 
a  village,  where  the  h  pers  of 
this  and  the  neighboring  islands 
are  sent.  In  1801  there  were 
in  the  hospital,  200  of  these 
wretched  people.  Several  of 
these  had  lost  one,  or  both  eyes; 
others,  their  fingers,  toes,  or 
nose.  The  limbs  of  the  great- 
er part  were  contracted,  their 
hands  and  legs  were  swollen. 
This  disease  is  externally  con- 
fined to  the  legs,  arms,  and 
head;  yet  a  cough,  a  hoarse- 
ness, pain  in  the  stomach,  and 
difficulty  of  digestion  is  expe- 
rienced.  The  island  is  govern- 


ed by  Christians,  subject  to  the 
Turks.  JVittman. 

Chios,  the  capital  of  the 
above  island,  is  well  built  on 
wide  streets.  Most  of  the  in- 
habitants are  Christians,  and 
most  of  the  churches  are  Greek; 
but  the  Latins  have  five.  The 
Capuchines  have  alarge  church, 
and  keep  a  school,  where  they 
teach  religion  and  the  learned 
languages.  The  Jews  have 
synagogues,  and  the  Turks 
have  mosques  here.  No  Chris- 
tian is  allowed  to  lodge  in  the 
castle.  The  citizens  claim 
Homer  as  their  townsman,  and 
pretend  to  show  strangers  the 
place  where  he  formerly  kept 
school.  On  a  kind  of  table, 
hewn  out  of  the  rock,  it  is  sup- 
posed, that  the  schoolmaster 
sat;  around  are  seats  for  the 
pupils,  cut  in  the  rock.  The 
town  contains  about  20,000 
people.   JVittman,  Pocoke,  &c. 

CHITTLM,  or  Kittim. 
Le  Clerc  and  Calmet,  in  their 
comments  upon  Gen.  x,  4,  have 
shown,  that  Chittim  is  the  same 
with  Macedonia,  peopled  by 
Kittim,  the  son  of  Javan,  and 
grandson  of  Noah.  Basnage, 
by  the  word  Chittim,  under- 
stands the  Cutherans,  inhabit- 
ants of  the  Susiana,  near  Baby- 
lon, and  subject  to  Nebuchad- 
nezzar. Bochart  supposes  the 
Romans  to  be  meant  by  Chit- 
tim.   But  the  author  of  die  first 


CHO 


C1L 


book  of  Maccabees  under- 
stands it  of  Macedonia:  for 
chap,  i,  1,  he  calls,  Alexander 
king  of  the  Chittims;  and  chap, 
viii,  5,  he  says,  that  Perseus, 
king  of  the  Chittims,  was  over- 
come by  the  Romans.  Balaam, 
Numb,  xxiv,  24,  says,  "And 
ships  shall  come  from  the 
coasts  of  Chittim,  and  shall  af- 
flict Asher."  Le  Clerc  ob- 
serves "this  place  clearly 
proves  that  Macedonia  is  meant 
by  the  word  Chittim,  because 
the  Assyrians  were  conquered 
by  Alexander  and  his  succes- 
sors. But  •another  writer  of 
merit  adds,  I  do  not  see  suffi- 
cient reason  for  restraining 
the  word  Chittim  to  Macedo- 
nia, which  was  not  particularly  a 
maritime  country.  Why  not  in- 
clude allGreece?  At  least  the  isl- 
ands of  the  Archipelago,and  per- 
haps up  the  Bosphorus,  whence 
vessels  might  sail  to  Tyre, 
as  they  do  now  to  Egypt.  The 
Greek  colonies,  scattered  about 
the  Mediterranean,  might  also 
be  included,  consequently,  Sic- 
ily, Sardinia,  and  most  of  Italy. 
CHORAZIN,  a  town  of  Ju- 
dea,  supposed  to  have  stood  on 
the  sea  of  Galilee,  and  two 
miles  from  Capernaum,  but  not 
on  the  western  coast  of  that 
sea  in  Galilee,  as  some  have 
supposed,  but  on  the  east,  in 
the  region  of  Argob.  Though 
Chorazin  is  reckoned  among 


the  cities,  where  most  of  our 
Savior's  miracles  had  been 
done,  it  is  never  mentioned, 
but  by  two  of  the  Evangelists, 
and  not  once  in  the  Old  Tes- 
tament. St.  Matt.  *xi,  21,  and 
St.  Luke  x,  23,  mentions  it 
only  in  a  discourse  where  our 
Lord  upbraids  it,  for  its  infi- 
delity. See  Bethsaida.  His  woe 
pronounced  upon  them  has 
been  awfully  executed.  Both 
Jerome  and  Eusebius  declare 
that  the  place  was  deserted  in 
their  day.     D'Anville. 

CHOZEBA,  a  town  of  Ju- 
dah,  mentioned  in  1  Chron.  iv, 
22. 

CHUB,  a  word  which  we 
meet  with  in  Ezekiel  xxx,  5; 
and  which  occurs  in  no  other 
part  of  scripture.  Calmet  takes 
cub,  to  be  the  habitation  of  Cu- 
bians,  placed  by  Ptolemy  in  the 
Mareotis.  Sanson  thinks  it  a 
region  or  settlement  in  Africa, 
between  Ethiopia,  Egypt,  and 
Lybia,  in  Lat  SO. 

CILICIA,  a  country  in  the 
south-east  of  Aria  Minor,  and 
ly ing  on  the  northern  coast,  at 
the  east  end  of  the  Mediterra- 
nean sea;  the  capital  city  of 
which  is  Tarsus,  the  native  city 
of  St.  Paul,  Acts  xxi,  39;  this 
ancient  kingdom,  lying  be- 
tween 36th  and  40th  degree  of 
north  latitude,  is  bounded  on 
the  east  by  Syria,-  or  rather  by 
mount   Amana,   which  separ- 


CIN 


<lO 


s  it  from  that  kingdom;  by 
Pa  nphylia  on  the  west,  by 
[sauria,  Capadocia,  and  Arme- 
nia Minor  on  the  nonh,  and 
by  the  Mediterranean  sea  on 
the  south.  -It  is  50  miles  long, 
broad,  and  so  surrounded 
by  steep  and  craggy  moun- 
tains, chiefly  the  Taurus  and 
Amanus,  that  it  may  be  de- 
fended by  a  handful  of  men, 
against  a  numerous  army, 
there  being  but  three  narrow 
passes  leading  to  it,  common- 
ly called  PyLe  Cilicitf,  or  the 
gates  of  Ciliei.i;  or  on  the  side 
of  Capadocia,  called  the  pass  of 
mount  Taurus,  and  the  other 
two  called  the  pass  of  mount 
Amanus  and  the  puss  of  Syria. 
It  was  the  Cilicians,  who  in- 
vented a  kind  of  hair  cloth, 
which  in  our  bibles  is  called 
sackcloth,  so  much  used  by  the 
Jews  and  fir->t  Christians  in 
times  of  penitence,  and  trou- 
ble. Aristotle  says  they  shear- 
ed their  goats.  Boiven's  folio 
Gtjov,vol.  2. 

CINNERETH,  or  Cin- 
eroth,  a  ciiy  of  the  tribe  of 
Naphtali,  to  the  south  of  which 
lay  a  great  plain,  which  reach- 
ed as  far  as  the  Dead  Sea,  along 
the  river  Jordan,  Joshua  xi,  2; 
xii,3;  andxix,  35.  Many  be- 
lieve, with  a  great  deal  of  prob- 
ability, that  Cinnereth  was  the 
same  with  Tiberias;  and  as  the 
lake  of  Genesarcth,  which  is  in 
J5 


Hebrew  called  the  lake  of  Cin- 
nereth, is  without  doubt  thai 
of  Tiberias,  there  is  some  rea- 
son to  believe,  that  Cinnereth 
and  Tiberias  are  likewise  the 
same  city:  Reland  however  is 
of  a  coatraiy  opinion.  See 
Gati/ee,  Sea  of. 

CLAUD  A,  an  island  of  the 
Adriatic  sea,  which  lies  south- 
west from  Crete.  It  is  now 
called  Goza.  Paul  and  his 
companions  sailed  by  it  in  their 
voyage  to  Rome.  Acts  xxvii, 
16*     Lat.  33,  51. 

CNIDUS,  once  a  city  of  Ca- 
na  in  the  canton  of  Doris,  noto- 
rious for  the  worship  of  Venus, 
and  now  a  pile  of  ruins.  It 
stood  on  a  promontory,  now 
called  cape  Crio,  and  had  two 
ports,  one  on  each  side.  ,  Here 
was  a  famous  statue  of  Venus, 
made  by  Praxiteles.  Topo- 
graph Dictionary. 

CO,  a  city  of  Egypt,  and 
capital  of  the  province,  called 
Cyppolitana.  Whether  this  be 
the  same  place  as  the  next  ar- 
ticle is  uncertain,  1  Kings  x, 
28;  "and  Solomon  had  horses 
brought  out  of  Egypt  and  lin- 
en yarn."  The  words  may  be 
rendered,  and  they'  brought 
horses  to  Solomon  from  Egypt, 
and  from  Mihoc.  Pliny  says 
that  the  country  of  the  Troy- 
lodytes,  near  Egypt,  was  called 
Michoc.  Others  translate  the 
passage,  and  they  brought  hors- 


Col 


coo 


es  and  thread  spun.  Jarchi 
supposes,  that  it  means  a  string 
of  horses,  that  is  they  brought 
horses,  in  strings,  fastened  from 
the  tail  of  one  to  the  other/ 

COA,  a  town  probably  in 
Arabia  Felix.     Lat.  16,  15. 

CCELO-SYRIA,  in  the 
larger  sense  of  the  word,  was 
the  name  of  the  whole  country 
lying  southward  of  Seleucia,  and 
extending  as  far  as  Egypt  and 
Arabia:  but  this  word  is  prin- 
cipally applied  to  the  ytlley  ly- 
ing between  Libanus  and 
Anti-Libanus.  The  word  oc- 
curs only  in  the  apocryphal 
writings  of  the  Old  Testament, 
or  in  the  sacred  scriptures,  this 
country  may  be  included  in 
Aramt  or  perhaps  Syria  of  So- 
ba,  or  Aram  Soba* 

COLOSS/E,  a  city  of  Phry- 
gia,  which  Herodotus  tells  us, 
stood  where  the  river  Lycus, 
running  under  ground,  disap- 
pears. But  this  river,  rising 
again  five  furlongs  from  this 
city,  empties  itself  into  the  riv- 
er Meander.  It  is  generally 
agreed  among  learned  men, 
that  Colossae  stood  at  no  great 
distance  from  Laodicea  and  Hi- 
erapoiis,  whence  we  find  St. 
Paul  mentioned  the  inhabitants 
of  these  three  cities  together, 
Col  iv,  13.  This  city,  Dr. 
Wells  informs  us,  has  been  long 
fcince  quite  buried  in  ruins,  the 
memory  of  it  being  now  chiefly 


preserved  by  the  epistle,  whicfii 
St.  Paul  wrote  to  the  inhabi- 
tants. 

Concerning  the  present  state 
of  Colossae  however  a  travel- 
ler informs  us,  that  the  place 
is  now  called  Conos  by  the 
Turks;  it  is  situated  very  high 
upon  a  hill,  the  plains  under  it 
are  very  pleasant;  but  we  were 
no  sooner  entered  into  it,  saith 
he,  than  we  thought  fit  to  leave 
it,  the  inhabitants  being  a  vile 
sort  of  people,  so  that  we  doubt- 
ed of  our  safety  among  them. 
There  still  remain  some  poor 
Christians,  notwithstanding, 
those  horrid  abuses  which  they 
are  forced  to  endure,  but  with- 
out any  church  or  priest,  they 
are  poor,  miserable  Greeks, 
who  in  ignorance  and  oppres- 
sion, still  retain  the  profession 
of  Christianity,  though  they 
have  forgot  their  own  language, 
and  speak  only  Turkish.  Trav- 
elling from  this  place  in  six 
hours  we  reached  Laodicea. 

COOS,  an  island  in  the 
Archipelago,  lying  near  "the 
south-west  point  oi  Asia  minor, 
and  having  a  city  of  the  same 
name.  "From  Miletus,"  Paul 
and  his  companions,  in  his 
journey  to  Jerusalem,  "came 
in  a  straight  course  to  Coos, 
and  the  next  day  to  Rhodes, 
Acts  xxi,  1."  This  island  is 
now  called  Stancho,  and  is  sub- 
ject to  the  Turks;  it  is  56  nr 


coo 


COR 


north-west  from  Rhodes,  and 
100  miles  in  circuit.  This 
was  the  birth  place  of  Hypo- 
crates  the  physician,  and  Apel- 

]es  the  painter.  Lat.  37,  1.  N. 
Long.  27,44,  E. 

A  traveller  recently  there 
says,  this  is  a  beautiful  and 
fe  rtiie  isl  a  nd  ab  o  u  n  d  i  ng  in  com, 
fruit,  and  vegetables.  Grapes, 
figs,  lemons,  and  oranges  are 
produced  in  abundance;  nu- 
merous flocks  and  herds  are 
scattered  over  the  plains.  The 
population  is  estimated  at  four 
thousand  souls,  two  thousand 
Turks,  one  thousand  Greeks, 
and  one  thousand  Jews.  To 
each  of  these  nations,  a  distinct 
quarter  is  assigned,  in  the  town 
of  Stancho.  In  an  excursion 
of  our  traveller,  he  says,  that  he 
met  with  vineyards  and  gar- 
dens of  lemon  trees,  which  bore 
an  immensity  of  fruit.  The 
fig,  almond,  pomegranite,  and 
mulberry  trees,  were  cultivat- 
ed in  stone  enclosures,  which 
gave  the  country  a  neat  ap- 
pearance. On  the  sides  of  the 
mountains,  are  fir,  cypress,  and 
olive  trees. 

The  chief  town  of  the  island, 
bearing  the  same  name,  stands 
on  the  eastern  shore;  it  is  large 
and  well  built.  It  is  well  for- 
tified and  defended  by  a  castle. 
The  streets  are  narrow;  the 
houses  are  of  stone  well  plais- 
tered.  having  flat  roofs,  and  are 


neat  in  their  appearance.     The 
place  was  once  famous  for   its 
temple    of    j'Esculapius;     but 
more  so,  for  its  celebrated  statue 
of  Venus,    rising  naked    from 
the  sea,    formed    by  the  great 
Apelles.      To  render  his  work 
perfect,   it    is    said,  that  he  as- 
sembled all  the  women    of  the 
island  to  unite  their  best  fea- 
tures, and  most   delicate  linea- 
ments in  this  model  of  beauty. 
It    was  carried  hence  to  Rome 
bv  Augustus.     The   house  of 
Hypocrates  in  ruins  is  yet  shown 
to  travellers;  it  was  of  stone.  A 
huge. cypress  tree  is  a  curios- 
ity.     From   the  extremity   of 
its  branches  on  one  side  to  the 
opposite  is   one    hundred  and 
twenty  nine  feet;    its  trunk    is 
thirty  four  feet  in  circumference. 
The    enormous    branches    are 
supported  by  twenty  large  and 
beautiful   coluins    of    marble. 
Under  the  tree  is  a  fountain,  a 
tomb   of  a  Turkish  saint,  and 
several      coffee     houses;     two 
thousand  people  may  be   shel- 
tered   in    its  shade.     Lat.  36,, 
40.  Long.  27,  30,     Thevenott 
Mariti,  Adam. 

CORINTH,  a  celebrated 
city,  the  capital  of  Achaia,  seat- 
ed on  the  isthmus,  which  sep- 
arates Peloponnesus  from  Atti- 
ca. This  city  was  one  of  the 
best  peopled  and  most  wealthy 
of  all  Greece.  Its  situation, 
between    two  seas,  drew  the 


eon 


COR 


trade  of  both  the  east  and  west, 
from  all  parts.  Its  riches  pro- 
duced pride,  ostentation,  effem- 
inacy, and  all  manner  of  vices. 
Lasciviousness,  in  particular, 
was  not  only  tolerated  here,  but 
in  a  manner  consecrated  by  the 
worship  of  Venus,  and  the 
public  prostitution  of  those, 
who  were  devoted  to  her;  a 
thousand  lewd  women  were 
devoted  to  one  temple.  But 
what  this  city  was  most  mem- 
orable for,  among  the  heathen 
authors,  was  its  citadel,  which 
was  called  Acro-corinthus, 
from  its  being  built  on  a  high 
mountain  or  rock;  and  for  its 
insolence  against  the  Roman 
Legates,  which  induced  L. 
Mummius  to  destroy  it;  but 
in  its  conflagration,  so  many 
statues  of  different  metal  were 
melted  down,  that  the  remains 
of  them  made  the  famous  Co- 
rinthian brass,  which  was  ac- 
counted more  valuable  than 
gold.  After  this  destruction, 
it  was  restored  by  Julius  Cae- 
sar to  its  former  splendor,  and 
in  a  short  time  became  the 
most  beautiful  city  of  Greece. 
The  neat  order  of  the  pillars, 
which  are  used  at  this  day  in 
the  decoration  of  all  fine  build- 
ings, took  from  this  place  the 
name  of  Corinthian  pillars. 
The  citizens  made  high  pre- 
tensions to  politeness,  philos- 
ophy, and  learning.    Such  was 


the  state  of  Corinth,  when 
St.  Paul  came  to  preach  the 
gospel  there,  in  the  year  of 
Jesus  Christ  52,  Acts  xviii,  1, 
2,  &c.  This  city  enjoyed  its 
liberty,  and  immense  traffic,, 
till  A.  D.  146.  It  was  then 
deemed  the  strongest  city  in 
the  world;  it  was  also  the 
most  splendid  and  opulent,  and 
the  unrivalled  seat  of  the  fine 
arts,  when  it  was  taken  and 
burned  by  the  Romans,  and 
again  in  A.  D.  268  it  was 
burned  by  the  Heruli.  By  an 
earthquake  it  was  again  al- 
most ruined  in  525.  About 
1180,  Roger,  king  of  Sicily, 
took  and  plundered  the  city. 
Since  1458  it  has  most  of  the 
time  endured  the  tyranny  of 
the  Turks,  and  is  so  decayed  at 
present,  that  the  population  docs 
not  exceed  1500  souls,  one  half 
Mahometans,  the  other  half 
Christians.  Lat.  38,  14,  N„ 
Long.  28,  13,  E. 

CRETE,  an  island  in  the 
Mediterranean,  now  called  Can- 
dia.  St.  Paul  made  Titus,  his 
dear  disciple,  bishop  of  Crete, 
charging  him  to  rebuke  the 
people  of  this  island  severely, 
to  prevent  their  being  fond  of 
Jewish  fables  and  human  ordi- 
nances; he  adds,  chap,  i,  12, 
13,  "the  Cretians,  as  one  of 
their  own  poets  (or  prophets) 
bears  witness,  are  always  liars; 
evil    beasts."      This  Cretian 


CUE 


CVS 


prophet  of  whom  the  apostle 
speaks,  is  thought  to  be  Epi- 
menides,  though  St.  Chrysos- 

ii,  Theodnret,  and  many  oth- 
ers, make  Callimachus  the  au- 
thor of  this  remark.  The  char- 
acter of  this  people  was  thor- 
oughly established  for  lying. 
Whetl  Ulysses  designs  to  de- 
liver a  falsehood,  he  always 
assumes  the  character  of  a  Cre- 
tian.  In  common  speech  to 
Cretanise  signified  to  tell  lies. 
'VWisji/stiJies  St.  Paul.  Poly- 
bius  represents  them  as  addict- 
ed to  piracy,  robbery,  and  ev- 
ery crime.      See  Caphtor. 

It  was  one  of  the  noblest  isl- 
ands in  the  Mediterranean,  be- 
ing formerly  called  Hecatom- 
polis,  the  island  of  a  hundred 
cities;  it  was  also  called  the 
happy  island,  from  the  richness 
of  the  soil,  and  salubrity  of  the 
air.  Its  principal  city  is  Can- 
dia,  formerly  strong,  rich,  and 
populous.  The  produce  is 
corn,  wine,  oil,  wool,  silk,  and 
honey.  Candia  is  200  miles 
long,  and  50  broad.  Not  an 
eighth  part  of  the  houses  are 
now  inhabited.  More  than  a 
thousand  cities,  towns,  and  vil- 
lages, are  reduced  to  less  than 
300.  It  is  500  miles  S.W. 
from  Constantinople.  Theve- 
not. 

Crete,  the  capital,  once  an 
opulent  and  populous  city,  is 
little  better  than  a  desert,  cov- 
ered with  rubbish.  It  now  con- 


tains scarcely  10  or  12,000 
Turks,  2  or  3000  Greeks,  and 
about  60  Jews.  So  does  des- 
olation follow  the  Turkish  gov- 
ernment and  the  Mahometan 
religion. 

CUSH.  The  Vulgate,  Scp- 
tuagint,  and  other  interpreters, 
both  ancient  and  modern,  gen- 
erally translate  Cush,  Ethiopia: 
but  there  are  many  passages 
where  this  translation  cannot 
take  place. 

Cush,  is  the  name  of  the 
cotiiifry  watered  by  the  Araxes. 
They  who  in  translating  the 
situation  of  Eden,  have  made 
Cush,  Ethiopia,  made  way  for 
tiiat  unwarrantable  opinion, 
which  Josephus  and  several 
others  have  entertained  of  the 
river  Gihon's  being  the  Nile. 
In  this  place,  Gen.  ii,  13,  the 
LXX  translation,  renders  the 
word  Cush,  by  the  name  of 
Ethiopia,  and  this  mistake  is 
not  only  followed,  by  our  Eng- 
lish version,  but  in  the  same 
particular,  in  several  other 
places.  See  the  articles  Eden, 
Gihon,  Pison,  &c. 

Cuth  is  the  same  as  Cush. 
The  Chaldees  generally  put 
the  tau,  where  the  Hebrews 
use  the  schin;  they  say  Cuth 
instead  of  Cush.     See  Cuth. 

But  Ethiopia  is  frequently 
in  the  Hebrew  called  Cush; 
and  Josephus  says,  that  they 
called  themselves  by  this  name, 
and  that  the  same  name  was 


cus 


CUT 


given  them*  by  all  Asia.  St. 
Jerome  tells  us,  that  the  He- 
brews call  the  Ethiopians  by 
the  same  name,  and  the  Sep- 
tuagint  gives  them  no  other. 
Jer.  xiii,  23,  says,  "Can  the 
Cushaean,  or  Ethiopian,  change 
his  color."  In  Ezek.  xxix,  10, 
the  Lord  threatens  to  reduce 
"Egypt  to  a  desert,  from  the 
tower  of  Syene,  even  unto  the 
border  of  Cush,  or  Ethiopia," 
and  in  Isaiah  xi,  11,  he  says, 
"he  will  recover  the  remnant 
of  his  people,  which  shall  be 
left  from  Assyria,  and  from 
Egypt,  and  from  Pathros,  and 
from  Cush."  All  these  marks 
agree  with  Ethiopia,  properly 
so  called,  which  lies  to  the 
south  of  Egypt.  Bochart  has 
shown  very  clearly,  that  there 
was  also  a  country,  called  the 
land  of  Cush,  in  Arabia  Pe- 
trea,  bordering  upon  Egypt; 
that  this  country  extended  it- 
self principally  upon  the  east- 
ern shore  of  the  Red  Sea,  and 
at  its  extremity,  to  the  point 
of  this  sea,  inclining  towards 
Egypt  and  Palestine.  Thus 
there  are  three  countries  of  the 
name  of  Cush,  described  in 
Scripture,  and  all  confounded 
by  interpreters,  under  the  gen- 
eral name  of  Ethiopia.  It  is 
very  probable,  that  the  disli- 
kes in  Arabia  might  pass  over 
the  Red  Sea  into  the  neighbor- 
ing parts  of  Africa,  and  plant 
colonies  in  Ethiopia  or  Abys- 


sinia, as  the  country  is  now 
called;  so  that  Cush  might  still 
be  the  father  of  the  Ethiopians. 
The  places  of  Scripture,  which 
are  supposed  to  refer  to  this 
Ethiopia  are  Isaiah  xviii,  1; 
Zeph.  iii,  10,  and  2  Chron.  xii, 
3.  The  descendants  of  Cush, 
I  may  add,  excepting  Dedun, 
are  all  found  in  Arabia,  which 
confirms  the  opinion,  that  Ara- 
bia is  principally  intended  by 
Cush.  Seba,  the  first  son  of 
Cush,  probably  seated  himself 
in  the  south-west  of  Arabia,  for 
there  we  find  a  city  called  Sabe. 
On  the  south-east  of  Arabia,  we 
find  another  city,  called  Sabana, 
where  we  may  therefore,  sup- 
pose that  Sheba  settled.  He 
was  the  grandson  of  Cush  by 
Raamah.  He  probably  lived 
in  the  neighborhood  of  his 
father  and  brother,  fer  we  al- 
ways find  them  mentioned  to- 
gether. P2zek.  xxvii,  22,  "The 
merchants  of  Sheba  and  Raa- 
mah were  thy  merchants,"  and 
xxxviii,  13,  "Sheba  and  Dectan, 
and  the  merchants  of  Tar- 
shish,"  &c. 

CUTH,  or  Cuth  ah, a  prov- 
ince of  Assyria,  which,  as  some 
say,  lies  upon  the  Araxes,  and 
is  the  same  with  Cush:  but 
Sanson  and  others  take  it  to 
be  the  same  with  the  country, 
which  the  Greeks  called  Su- 
siana,  and  which  to  this  very 
day,  says  Dr.  Wells,  is  by  the 
inhabitants    called   Chusestan. 


C\T 


I 


V.  Calmet  is  of  opinion  that 
Cuthah  and  Scythia,  arc  the 
same,  and  that  the  Cuthites, 
who  were  removed  into  Sa- 
maria by  Salmancser,  2  Kings 
acvii,  24,  came  from  Cush  or 
Cuth,  mentioned  in  Gen.  ii,  13. 
See  Cush. 

CUTHITES,  see  Cuth. 

CYPRUS,  a  famous  island 
in  the  Mediterranean,  situated 
between  Cilicia  and  Syria. 
Wells  supposes  it  to  be  distant 
from  the  main  land,  Syria,  a- 
bout  one  hundred  miles,  and 
about  sixty  miles  from  Cilicia; 
to  be  extended  in  length  from 
cast  to  west,  about  200  miles, 
and  in  breadth  sixty.  On  ac- 
count of  its  fertility,  the  an- 
cients called  it,  the  rich  and 
happy  island;  but  so  infamous 
was  it  for  luxury,  and  all  kinds 
of  debauchery,  that  it  gave  the 
name  Cypris,  or  Cypria,  to 
Venus,  who  was  its  chief  god- 
dess in  the  times  of  heathen- 
ism, when  they  used  to  conse- 
crate their  women  to  impurity, 
and  by  law  compel  them  to  lie 
with  strangers,  as  did  the  Baby- 
lonians. The  apostles  Paul 
and  Barnabas  departed  from 
Antioch,  embarked  atScleucia, 
and  landed  in  the  isle  of  Cy- 
prus, Acts  xiii,  4,  5,  6,  &c. 
While  they  continued  at  Sala- 
mis,  they  preached  Jesus  Christ 
in  the  Jewish  synagogue;  and 
thence  they  went  and  preached 
in  all  the  cities'  in  the  island. 


Barnabas  visited   the    island   rt 
second  time,  and  is  considered 
its  first   bishop,  and    to   havi 
suffered  martyrdom  here. 

This  island  formerly  con- 
tained nine  kingdoms,  tributa- 
ry to  Egypt,  and  soon  after  to 
the  Romans.  From  the  em- 
perors of  the  west,  it  passed  to 
those  of  the  east,  but  it  was  taken 
from  them  by  the  Arabs,  under 
the  reign  of  Heraclius.  Achain  of 
mountains,  the  highest  of  which 
are  Olympus,  St.  Croix,  and 
Buffavent  cross  the  island 
from  cast  to  west.  At  certain 
seasons  the  beds  of  their  rivers 
are  entirely  dry;  owing  to  the 
want  of  rain.  Historians  as- 
sure us,  that  in  the  reign  of 
Constantine  no  rain  fell  in  this 
island  for  30  years.  Of  a  great 
number  of  cities,  nothing  re- 
mains but  the  name,  and  the 
ruins.  Famagusta  and  Ni- 
cosi  arc  the  only  places  of  im- 
portance, unless  Larnic,' where 
the  European  merchants  have 
their  factory,  may  be  classed 
in  the  same  rank.  Besides 
these  Cyprus  contains  7  cita- 
dels. The  soil  is  fertile,  the 
climate  healthy.  The  women 
have  beautiful  eyes.  The 
Greeks  are  fond  of  pleasure. 
When  the  Turks  conquered 
Cyprus,  in  1570,  they  reckon* 
ed  in  it  70,000  men,  subject 
to  capitation,  and  one  million 
souls  in  the  whole.  The  pres- 
ent    population     is     scarcely 


CYP 


CYR 


40,000.  The  island  once  a- 
bounded  with  mines  of  gold, 
silver,  copper,  iron,  marcasite, 
rock  allum,  and  even  emeralds; 
but  of  these  ancient  produc- 
tions nothing  now  remains,  ex- 
cept the  remembrance,  and 
the  names  of  the  places  where 
they  were  procured.  The 
present  government  fetters  cu- 
riosity and  forbids  every  kind 
of  research.  The  locusts  here 
are  a  great  scourge,  their  visits 
in  some  years  are  at  stated  pe- 
riods; they  destroy  the  herb- 
age of  the  ground,  and  foliage 
of  the  trees,  and  sometimes 
cover  the  earth  nearly  a  foot 
thick.     Witt  man. 

Cyrus  conquered  this  island; 
seventy  years  after  the  Per- 
sians were  driven  away  by  the 
Greeks.  In  Anno  Mundi  3950 
'  Clodius  and  Cato  robbed  the 
king  of  the  island  to  the  amount 
of  more  than  six  million  dol- 
lars, and  made  it  a  Roman 
province.  The  Jews  were 
numerous  there,  who  having 
murdered  240,000  of  the  isl- 
anders, they  were  banished  a- 
botit  A.D.  118.  In  648  Cy- 
prus was  taken  by  the  Saracens; 
but  it  was  recovered  by  the 
•emperor  of  Constantinople  a- 
bout  957.  In  1151,  Richard, 
king  of  England,  drove  out 
the  Turks,  and  gave  the  island 
to  Lusignan,  the  tutelar  king 
of  Jerusalem.  He  and  his  pos- 
terity  retained    it   about  .300 


years.  His  male  issue  failing, 
the  Venetians  seized  the  isl- 
and about  A.D.  1473.  The 
Turks,  after  a  desperate  war 
wrested  it  from  them  in  1570, 
and  continue  to  be  its  masters. 
The  political,  literary,  and  re- 
ligious state  of  Cyprus  is  de- 
plorable.    Lat.  35,30. 

CYRENE,  a  city  of  Lybia 
in  Africa,  of  great  note,  and 
one  of  such  power  as  to  con- 
tend with  Carthage,  this  city 
is  famous  in  profane  writ- 
ers, for  being  the  birth  place  of 
Eratosthenes  the  mathemati- 
cian, and  Callimachus  the  poet; 
and  in  holy  writ,  as  being  the 
birth  place  of  Simon,  whom 
the  Jews  compelled  to  bear  our 
Savior's  cross,  Matt,  xxvii,  32; 
and  Luke  xxiii,  26.  Lat.  50. 
40. 

Cyrene,  a  country  of  Asia 
to  which  Tiglath-pileser  trans- 
ported the  captives,  whom  he 
had  taken  at  Damascus,  as  the 
prophet  Amos,  twenty-five 
years  before,  had  foretold, 
Amos  i,  5;  "I  will  break  the 
bar  of  Damascus,  and  cut  off 
the  inhabitants  from  the  plain 
of  Aven, — and  the  people  of 
Syria  shall  go  into  captivity 
unto  Kir,  saith  the  Lord." 
They  were  accordingly  carried 
into  Iberia  or  Albania,  where 
the  river  Kir  or  Cyrus  runs, 
and  which  falls  into  the  Caspian 
sea.  Josephus  says  they  were 
carried     into    Upper    Media, 


DAM 


DAM 


Amos  says  the  Ara means  were 
originally  of  Kir,  intending 
probably  to  include  Mesopota- 
mia, and  the  region  beyond  the 
Euphrates,  whence  the  Arame- 
ans  or  Syrians  really  came. 
They  were  the  descendants  of 
Aram  the  son  of  Shem. 

DABERETH,  a  town  of 
Palestine  in  the  tribe  of  Zebu- 
lon,  or  on  its  border  in  the  tribe 
of  Issachar;  it  was  ceded  to  the 
Levites,  and  lay  in  the  great 
plain  at  the  extremity  of  Gali- 
lee and  Samaria.  Possibly  it 
may  be  the  town  mentioned  by 
Jerome,  which  he  calls  Dabira, 
towards  mount  Tabor.  Mr. 
Maundrel  also  mentions  Debo- 
ra  near  the  foot  of  Tabor. 

DABIR,  a  town  in  the  tribe 
of  Gad. 

DALMANATHA,  a  region 
east  from  the  sea  of  Galilee. 
See  Magdala. 

DALMATIA,  a  part  of  old 
Illyria,  lying  along  the  gulf  of 
Venice  in  Europe.  Titus 
preached  the  gospel  here,  2 
Tim.  iv,  10.  Since  which  the 
Christian  religion  has  been  con- 
tinued here. 

DAMASCUS,  a  celebrated 
city  in  Syria.  It  was  for  a 
longtime  the  capital  of  a  king- 
dom, called  the  kingdom  of 
Damascus.  It  was  a  city  so  long 
ago  as  the  time  of  Abraham; 
and  we  are  informed  that  this 
patriarch  reigned  there,  imme- 
16 


diately,  after  Damascus  the 
founder.  Benjamin  of  Judela 
-says,  that  the  river  Abana  or 
Amana,  waters  the  city  of  Da- 
mascus, and  Pharphar  the  coun- 
try about  it.  Travellers  in- 
form us,  that  the  river  which 
runs  into  Damascus,  is  still  at 
this  day  called  Tarfar  or  Tarfa- 
ro;  Farfaro  or  Fir,  or  Pir. 
Stephen  the  geographer  calls 
the  river  of  Damascus,  Bara- 
din;  and  Maundrel  assures  us, 
that  the  Syrians  call  it  Barrady. 
Several  writers  have  been  of 
opinion,  that  Cain  and  Abel 
dwelt  near  Damascus,  and  that 
this  city  takes  its  name  from 
the  blood  of  Abel;  dam,  in  He- 
brew signifying  blood,  and  sack, 
a  righteous'  person;  and  they 
still  shew  in  these  parts,  Abel's 
monument. 

The  Jews  and  Christians 
have  a  tradition,  that  Paradise 
was  situated  in  the  valley  of 
Damascus.  The  beauty  and 
fertility  of  this  pl«ce  induced 
the  inhabitants  to  be  of  this 
opinion,  though  it  is  at  a  good 
distance  from  the  Tigris  amlEu- 
phrates.  "This  city,"  saith  he, 
"is  one  of  the  most  venerable 
for  antiquity  in  the  whole  world 
being  the  birth  place  of  Eliez- 
er,  the  steward  of  Abraham, 
Gen.  xv,  2;  nor  less  considera- 
ble on  account  of  its  strength 
and  greatness,  being  for  a  long 
time  the  capital  of  Syria,    and 


DAM 


DAM 


the  residence  of  the  Syrian 
kings,  mentioned  in  the  Old 
Testament.  To  pass  by  other 
titles,  it  is  styled  by  Julian  the 
"Eye  of  the  East." 

Our  author  acquaints  us, 
that  certainly  no  place  in  the 
world  can  promise  the  behold- 
er at  a  distance,  greater  volup- 
tuousness, insomuch  that  the 
Turks  have  a  tradition  that 
their  prophet  coming  near  Da- 
mascus, took  his  station  upon 
a  precipice  for  some  time,  to 
view  the  city,  and  consider  its 
ravishing  beauty,  but  would 
not  tempt  his  frailty  by  enter- 
ing it,  but  departed,  with  this 
reflection,  that  there  was  but 
one  paradise,  designed  for  man, 
and  for  his  part,  he  was  resolv- 
ed not  to  take  his  in  this  world. 

The  city  is  situated  on  a 
plain,  of  so  great  extent,  that 
you  can  but  just  discern  the 
mountains,  that  compass  it  on 
the  farther  side.  It  stands  on 
the  west  side  of  the  plain,  at 
not  above  two  miles  distance 
from  the  place,  where  the  river 
Barradv  breaks  from  between 
two  mountains;  its  gardens,  ex- 
tending almost  to  the  very 
place.  The  city  is  of  a  long 
strait  figure,  its  ends  pointing, 
nearly  north-east,  and  south- 
west. It  is  very  slender  in  the 
middle,  but  swells  bigger  at  each 
end,  especially  at  that  to  the 
north-east;  in  its  length  as  far  as 


I  could  judge  by  my  eye,  says. 
Mr.  Maundrel,  it  may  extend 
nearly  two  miles.  It  is  thick 
set,  with  mosques,  and  steep- 
les, encompassed  with  gardens; 
and  appears  like  a  noble  city  in 
a  vast  wood.  The  gardens  are 
thick  set  with  fruit  trees  of  all 
kinds,  kept  fresh  and  verdant 
by  the  waters  of  Barrady.  You 
discover  in  them  many  turrets, 
steeples,  and  summer  hous- 
es, frequently  peeping  from 
the  green  boughs.  The  great- 
er part  of  this  pleasantness,  and 
fertility  proceeds  from  the 
waters  of  Barrady,  which  sup- 
ply the  city,  and  gardens  in 
great  abundance.  This  river, 
as  soon  as  it  issues  from  be- 
tween the  cleft  of  the  mountain 
into  the  plain,  is  immediately 
divided  into  three  streams,  of 
which  the  middle  and  largest 
runs  directly  to  Damascus, 
through  a  large  open  field  cal- 
led Ager  Damascenus,  and  is 
distributed  to  all  the  cisterns, 
and  fountains  of  the  city. 

The  other  two  (which  seem 
to  be  the  work  of  art)  are  drawn 
round,  one  to  the  right  hand, 
the  other  to  the  left,  on  the 
borders  of  the  gardens,  into 
which  they  are  let  (as  they  pass 
along  by  little  currents,  and  so 
dispersed  over  the  vast  wood. 
Every  garden  has  a  fine  quick 
stream  running  through  it, 
which  serves  not  only  for  wat- 


DAM 


DAM 


oring  the  place,  but  is  also  im- 
proved into  fountains,  and  other 
water  works,  very  delightful. 

Birrudy,  being  thus  divided 
is  almost  wholly  drunk  up  by 
the  city,  and  gardens.  What 
small  part  of  it  escapes,  is  uni- 
ted in  one  channel  again,  on 
the  south-east  side  of  the  city; 
and  after  about  3  or  4  hours 
course,  finally  loses  itself  in  a 
bog  without  ever  arriving  at 
the  sea. 

The  Greeks  and  from  them 
the  Romans  call  this  river 
Chrysorrhoas,  i.  e.  Golden 
Stream.  But  as  for  Abana, 
and  Pharphar,  rivers  of  Damas- 
cus, mentioned  2  Kings  v,  12; 
I  could  find,  saith  my  author, 
no  memory  of  so  much  as  the 
names  remaining. 

They  must,  doubtless,  have 
been  only  two  branches,  of  the 
river  Barrady,  and  one  of  them 
was  probably  the  same  stream, 
that  now  runs  through  Ager 
Damascenus,  directly  to  the 
city  which  seems  by  its  serpen- 
tine or  winding  course,  to  be  a 
natural  channel.  The  other 
I  know  not  well  where  to  find: 
but  it  is  no  wonder,  seeing  they 
may,  and  do  turn,  and  alter  all 
the  courses  of  this  river,  ac- 
cording to  their  own  conve- 
nience and  pleasure. 

We  went  to  see  the  church 
of  St.  John  Baptist,  now  con- 
verted  into    3l   mosque,    and 


held  too  sacred  for  a  Christian 
to  enter  or  almost  to  look  into. 
In  this  church  are  kept  tlie 
head  of  St.  John,  and  some 
other  relics,  esteemed  so  holy 
that  it  is  death,  even  for  a 
Turk  to  presume  to  go  into 
the  room,  where  they  are  kept. 
We  were  told  here  by  a  Turk 
of  good  fashion,  that  Christ 
was  to  descend  into  this 
mosque  at  the  day  of  judg- 
ment, as  Mahomet  was  to  do 
in  that  of  Jerusalem.  We  went 
also  to  visit  the  house  of  Ana- 
nias, (Acts  ix,  17.)  The  place 
where  he  restored  sight  to  St. 
Paul,  (Acts  xix,  17)  is  a  small 
grotto  or  cellar,  it  affords  noth- 
ing remarkable,  but  only  that 
there  are  in  it  a  Christian  altar, 
and  a  Turkish  praying  place. 
The  place  of  St.  Paul's  vision 
is  about  half  a  mile  distant, 
eastward.  It  is  close  by  the 
way-side,  and  has  no  building 
to  distinguish  it.  There  is  a 
small  rock  or  heap  of  gravel, 
which  serves  to  point  out  the 
place.  About  two  furlongs 
nearer  the  city,  is  a  small  tim- 
ber structure.  Within  is  an 
altar  erected,  where  you  are 
told,  the  Apostle  rested  in  his 
way  to  the  city,  after  the  vision, 
(Acts  ix,  8.)  Being  returned 
to  the  city,  we  were  shewn  the 
gate,  at  which  St.  Paul  was  let 
down  in  a  basket,  (Acts  ix, 
25.)     This  gate  is  about  two 


DAM 


i 


BAN 


furlongs  distant  from  the  east 
gate,  which  renders  it  of  little 
use.  The  last  thing  Mr.  Maun- 
clrel  tells  us  that  he  and  his 
companions  went  to  see,  was 
the  street  called  Straight,  (Acts 
ix,  11.)  It  is  about  half  a 
mile  in  length,  running  from 
east  to  west  through  the  city. 
It  being  narrow,  and  the  houses 
jutting  cut  in  several  places  on 
both  sides,  you  cannot  have  a 
clear  prospect  of  its  length  and 
straightness.  In  this  street  is 
shewn  the  house  of  Judas,  with 
whom  Sf.  Paul  lodged;  and  in 
the  same  house  is  an  old  tomb, 
said  to  be  that  of  Ananias. 
The  Turks  have  a  reverence  for 
this  tomb,  and  maintain  a  lamp 
always  burning  over  it.  There 
is  in  this  city  a  Latin  convent. 
Damascus  lies  near  due  east 
from  Sidon,  it  being  esteemed 
three  days'  journey  distant,  the 
road  lying  over  the  mountains, 
Libanus  and  Anti-Libanus,  out 
of  the  last  of  which  pours  down 
the  large  river  Barrady,  with 
great  impetuosity.  Damascus 
is  the  rendezvous  of  all  the  pil- 
grims, going  to  Mecca  from 
the  north  of  Asia.  Their  num- 
ber is  from  30  to  50,000.  At 
Damascus  there  is  an  immense 
fair.  Caravans  follow  the  route 
known  in  the  time  of  Abram. 
I  may  add,  that  from  the  gar- 
dens cf  Damascus  were  orig- 
inally transplanted  the  fruit  tree, 


thence  called  Damascen,  and 
the  rose,  thence  called  the  Dam- 
ask rose,  and  the  branchings  of 
silk,  linen,  &c.  being  one  of  the 
inventions  of  the  inhabitants, 
or  at  least  those  sorts  of  stuffs 
being  brought  into  these  parts 
of  the  world  from  this  city,  are 
called  by  the  name  of  Damasks. 
Volney,  Mocquet,  D'Arvieux, 
and  other  travellers,  have  de- 
scribed Damascus.  They  men- 
tion many  curiosities  here,  as 
the  house  of  Naaman,  now  a 
hospital,  and  the  tomb  of  Ga- 
hazi.  They  say,  it  is  one  of 
the  most  commercial  cities  of 
the  Ottoman  empire;  it  has  ma- 
ny rich  manufactures;  the  peo- 
ple are  witty,  cunning,  and  po- 
lite. The  Christians  are  chiefly 
of  the  Greek  church,  of  whom 
there  are  1,200.  The  city  at 
present  is  increasing;  the  pop- 
ulation is   180,000. 

DAN,  this  tribe  had  its  por- 
tion on  the  Mediterranean  sea, 
though  the  Philistines  contin- 
ued to  hold  a  large  portion  of 
the  coast.  From  the  north-east 
to  the  south-wTest  they  joined 
toEphraim,  Benjamin,  andJu- 
dah;  Simeon  was  their  neigh- 
bor on  the  south-west.  This 
tribe  was  shut  up  in  a  small  ter- 
ritory of  not  half  the  extent  of 
several  other  tribes,which  prob- 
ably led  them  more  readily  to 
engage  in  war  and  foreign 
conquests.     For  a  long  time 


DAN 


DAN 


die  Amoritcs  retained  a  great 
portion  of  their  little  country. 
Therefore,  when  they  were  in- 
formed of  a  promising  enter- 
prize,  they  march  to  the^re- 
motest  part  of  their  country, 
near  the  head  of  the  Jordan,  to 
attack  the  people  of  Laish,  and 
leave  a  colony  there.  In  their 
way  with  an  army  of  600,  they 
robbed  Micahof  his  idol,  which 
became  an  occasion  of  their 
idolatry.  While  their  breth- 
ren were  oppressed  by  Jabin, 
the  tribe  of  Dan  showed  little 
concern,  but  continued  to  pur- 
sue their  commerce,  for  which 
their  situation  was  favorable. 
Sampson  was  of  this  tribe,  and 
proved  a  terrible  enemy  to  the 
Philistines.  Though  Dan  had 
but  one  son,  (Gen.  xlvi,  23)  yet 
when  this  tribe  came  forth  from 
Egypt,  about  210  years  after, 
they  amounted  to  62,700. 
When  they  were  numbered 
again  in  the  wilderness,  they 
amounted  to  64,400.  At  the 
coronation  of  David  28,600  of 
this  tribe  attended.  Tho'  their 
inheritance  was  a  small  dis- 
membered fragment  broken 
from  Judah,  the  soil  was  rich 
and  vastly  productive. 

On  his  death  bed  Jacob 
blessed  Dan  in  these  words, 
"Dan  shall  judge  his  people,  as 
one  of  the  tribes  of  Israel.  Dan 
shall  be  a  serpent  by  the  way, 
an  adder  in  the  path,  who  bite  th 


the  horses  heals,  so  that  his  ri- 
der shall  fall  backwards."  By 
which  Jacob  intended  that  tho' 
this  tribe  should  not  be  the  most 
powerful  or  celebrated,  it  should 
still  be  terrible  to  its  enemies;  it 
should  produce  a  mightyprince, 
as  was  the  son  of  Manoah,  who 
should  carry  terror  to  the  gates 
of  their  foes.  As  a  serpent  or 
an  adder,  he  should  manage 
with  cunning  and  address,  and 
his  enemies  should  fall  "back- 
wards" and  be  confounded. 
By  stratagem  and  cunning, 
more  than  by  valor,  it  is  inti- 
mated that  he  should  gain  his 
conquest.  So  it  proved  in  the 
expedition  to  Laish;  and  so  it 
was  when  Sampson  burned  the 
corn  of  the  Philistines,  and  tore 
down  their  temple.  Dr.  Clark. 
Dan,  the  city  of  Dan  was 
situated  at  the  northern  ex- 
tremity of  the  land  of  Israel, 
in  the  tribe  of  Naphtali.  "From 
Dan  even  to  Beersheba,"  is  a 
phrase  frequently  used  in  Scrip- 
ture to  denote  the  two  extrem- 
ities of  the  Land  of  Promise, 
1  Sam.  xxx.  2;  2  Sam.  iii,  10. 
Dan  lying  northward,  and  Beer- 
sheba southward.  The  city 
Dan,  was  seated  at  the  foot  of 
mountLibanuSjiipon  the  spring 
of  Dan  or  Jordan;  and  several 
authors  have  been  of  opinion, 
that  the  river  Jordan  took  its 
name  from  Jo?-,  a  spring,  and 
Dan,  a   city,    situated  near  its 


DEB 

source.  Here  Jeroboam,  the 
son  of  Nebat,  set  up  one  of  his 
golden  calves,  (1  Kings  xii, 
29)  and  the  other  at  Bethel. 
Lat.  33,  17. 

DAN- JO  AN,  supposed  to 
be  the  same  place  called  Dan, 
which  see. 

DANNAH,  a  city  in  the 
tribe  of  Judah,  the  same  as 
Debir. 

DASSEN,  a  city  of  Assy- 
ria, between  Nineveh  and  Chal- 
dea,  built  bvT  Asher.  See  Resen. 

DATHEMA,  or  Dath- 
man,  a  fortress  in  the  land  of 
Gilead,  whither  the  Jews  be- 
yond Jordan  retired,  and  main- 
tained themselves  against  the 
attacks  of  Timotheus,  till  Judas 
Maccabeus  came  to  their  relief. 

DE  \D  SEA,  see  Salt  Sea. 
Between  Lat.  31,5.  &  31,  23. 

DEBIR,  otherwise  Kirjath- 
sepher,  or  the  City  of-  Letters; 
or  Kirjatharba,  or  Kirjithsana, 
a  city  in  the  tribe  of  Judah,  very 
near  Hebron.  The  first  inhab- 
itants were  giants,  of  the  race 
of  Anak.  Debir  was  one  of 
the  cities,  belonging  to  the  Le- 
vites.  The  word  Kirjath  de- 
notes a  city;  Sepher  denot  s  a 
brook;  Sana  signifies  to  sharp- 
en. Hence  some  have  suppo- 
sed this  was  a  city  having  a 
university,  or  literary  academy  . 
of  the  Canaanites;  others  fancy 
the  records  of  the  nation  were 
kept  here.  O.hers  suppose, 
that  the  name  signifies  an  ora- 


DEH 

acle,  or  the  secret  part  of  a  tem- 
ple, where  the  responses  were 
given. 

DEBIR,  the  name  of  a  town 
beyond  Jordan;  in  the  tribe  of 
Gad,  (Josh,  xiii,  26)  also  the 
name  of  a  city  of  Benjamin, 
which  before  belonged  to  the 
tribe  of  Judah. 

DECAPOLIS,  a  country  in 
Palestine,  so  called,  because  it 
contained  ten  principal  cities, 
some  on  this,  and  some  on  the 
other  side  of  Jordan.  There 
is  mention  of  this  country  in 
Matt,  iv,  25,  and  in  Mark  v, 
20.  These  towns  lay  in  Iturea 
and  Peraea.  Pliny  says,  those 
ten  cities  were  Scythopolis, 
Philadelphia,  Raphanse,  and 
Gadara.  Hippos,  Dion,  Pella, 
(where  the  Christians  fled  from 
the  siege  of  Jerusalem,  as  Christ 
had  warned  them,)  Gerasa,  Ca- 
natha,  and  Damascus.  Lat. 
32,  35. 

DEDAN,  a  city  probably 
seated  on  the  Persian  gulf, 
Ezek.  xxvii,  15.  It  furnished 
the  merchants  of  Tyre  with 
ivory,  which  in  all  probability, 
was  imported  from  India.  It 
also  supplied  ebony,  which 
was  also  an  article  received  from 
India.     Lat.  30,  35. 

DEHAVITES,  a  people 
mentioned  in  the  book  of  Ezra, 
iv,  9;  the  same,  as  Calmet 
thinks,  who  are  said  in  the 
second  book   of  Kings,    xvii,. 


DE5> 


©IB 


14;  to  have  been  brought  by 
the  king  of  Assyria,  from  Ava, 
into  Samaria;  the  Dehavites 
bring  a  people  of  Ava,  and 
perhaps  of  that  Canton  of  As- 
syria, watered  by  the  river 
Diaba. 

DERBE,  a  city  of  Lycan- 
nia,  whither  St.  Paul  and  Bar- 
nabas, retreated  after  having 
been  driven  from  Iconium, 
Acts  xvi,  6;  in  the  year  of  Je- 
sus Christ  41.  Gaius,  a  disci- 
ple of  St.  Paul  and  St.  John  the 
evangelist,  were  natives  of 
Derbe.  It  was  20  miles  S. 
E.  ofLystra.  Modern  authors 
dispute  whether  the  place  is 
destroyed,  or  is  the  same,  now 
called  "Dewas.  Lat.  38.  Car- 
penter, Moll. 

DESARTOF  BETHSAI- 
DA,  the  place  where  Jesus 
Christ  fed  the  people  with  five 
loaves  and  two  fishes,  John  vi, 
15.  It  lay  on  the  east  side  of 
the  Galilean  sea. 

THE  DESART  OF  SIN, 
there  are  two  desarts  of  this 
name  mentioned  in  scripture; 
the  first  it  written  purely  sin, 
Exod.  xvi,  1;  and  lies  between 
Elim,  and  mount  Sinai;  the  sec- 
ond is  written  zin,  Numb,  xx, 
l;and  lies  near  Kadesh-barnea, 
where  Miriam  the  sister  of 
Moses  died. 

THE  DESART  OF  SI- 
NAI, is  that  which  lies  about, 
and  is  adjacent  to  mount  Sinai. 


The  people  encamped  there  a 
long  time:  and  received  the 
greatest  part  of  those  laws, 
which  are  written  in  the  book 
of  Moses,  Exod.  xix,  2. 

DESSAU,  a  town  or  castle, 
near  which  the  Jews  lodged 
themselves  under  the  conduct 
of  Judas  Maccabeus,  2  Mace. 
xiv,  16. 

DIBLATHA,  Diblatha- 

IM,  Or    HoLMAN-DlBLATHA- 

im,  a  town  in  the  land  of  Ca- 
naan, situated  on  the  east  side 
of  the  Jordan,  at  the  foot  of 
Mount  Nebo.  In  Jer.  xlviii, 
22;  we  read  of  Beth  Diblatha- 
im,  which  imports  the  temple 
of  Diblathaim. 

DIBON,  a  city  of  Moab 
given  to  the  tribe  of  Gad,  by 
Moses,  Numb,  xxxii,  3,  33, 
34;  and  afterwards  yielded  up 
to  the  tribe  of  Reuben,  Josh. 
xiii,  9.  It  is  thought  to  be  the 
same  with  Dibon-Gud,  Numb, 
xxxiii,  45;  which  was  one  of 
the  encampments  of  the  He- 
brews under  Moses.  Jeiome 
says,that  it  was  indifferently  cal- 
led Dibon  or  Dimon.  Euse- 
bius  says  that  in  his  day  it 
was  a  large  town,  situate  on 
the  banks  of  the  Arnon.  It 
was  so  called  from  its  softly 
flowing  waters;  the  Arnon  was 
here  probably  gentle  and  quiet. 
Lat.  31,  50. 

Dibon,  in  the  tribe  of  Ju- 
dah  is  thought  to  be  the  same 


DIG 


DOR 


with  Debir,  orKirjath-sepher, 
for  the  Septuagint  calls  that 
place  Dibon,  which  in  the  He- 
brew is  called  Debir,  Josh,  xii, 
26. 

DIMNAH,  a  city  in  the 
tribe  of  Zebulon,  Josh,  xxi, 
35;  given  to  the  Levites  of 
Merari's  family. 

DIMON,  probably  the  same 
place  as  Dibon.  Jeremiah 
prophecies,  that  "the  waters  of 
Dimon  shall  be  full  of  blood." 
Such  should  be  the  slaughter 
of  the  people  there,  that  the 
Anion  should  be  turned  to 
blood. 

DIMON  AH,  a  town  in  the 
southern  part  of  Judah,  Josh. 
xv,  22. 

DINABAH,  a  city  of  Edom, 
Gen.  xxxvi,  32;  1  Chron.  i, 
43;  the  Chaldee  root  imports 
fatness,  the  Arabic,  oil;  the 
form  of  the  word  implies,  the 
giver  of  abundant  quantities  of 
oil;  so  called  doubtless  from 
the  plenty  of  this  commodity, 
produced  in  the  neighborhood. 
DINAITES,  a  people, 
who  opposed  the  rebuilding  of 
the  temple  in  Jerusalem,  after 
the  return  of  the  people  from 
Babylon,  Ezra  iv. 

DINHABAH,  a  city  of 
Edom,  where  Beia  reigned 
who  was  the  son  of  Beor,  of 
the  race  of  Esau,Gen. xxxvi, 32. 
DIOSPOLIS,  a  city  of 
Egypt,  probably  referred  to  by 


the  prophet  Nahum,  and  is 
perhaps  the  same  as  No-Am- 
mon.     See  Amnion. 

DODANIM,  a  people  who 
descended  from  Japhet,  who 
settled  on  the  western  coast  of 
Asia  Minor.  There  we  find 
in  ancient  writers  a  country 
called  Doris.  The  Dorans 
formed  such  a  respectable  part 
of  the  Grecian  armies,  that 
Dorica-castra,  or  the  Doric 
camp  is  taken  by  Virgil  to  de- 
note the  whole  Grecian  camp. 
This  appears  more  probable 
from  what  the  Greeks  say  of 
Dorus,  the  father  of  the  Dori- 
ans, that  he  was  the  son  of  Nep- 
tune. Japhet  might  be  deem- 
ed by  them  the  god  of  the  sea, 
because  his  posterity  inhabited 
the  islands  of  the  sea. 

DOPHKAH,  the  ninth  or 
tenth  encampment  of  the  Is- 
raelites in  the  wilderness.  From 
the  wilderness  oi  Sin,  they  went 
to  Dophkah,and  from  Dophkah 
to  Alush,  Numb,  xxiii,  12. 

DOR,  or  Dora,  the  capital 
of  a  country  in  the  land  of  Ca- 
naan, called  in  Hebrew,  Ne- 
phat-Dor,  Joshua  (xii,  23;  Con- 
quered it,  and  killed  the  king. 
He  gave  the  city  Dor  to  the 
half  tribe  of  Manasseh,  on  this 
side  Jordan,  but  they  suffer- 
ed the  Canaanites  to  retain'  it, 
id,  xvii,  11,  Dor  is  situated 
upon  the  Mediterranean  sea, 
with  a  very  bad   port  between 


DOR 


DUtf 


Cacsarea  and  mount  Carmel. 
Antiochus  Sidetes  besieged 
Tryphon,  the  usurper  of  the 
kingdom  of  Syria,  in  this  city. 
Jerome  says  it  is  nine  miles 
from  Caesarea,  and  in  his  clay 
was  desolate  and  uninhabited. 
Dor,  being  situate  on  a  penin- 
sula projecting  into  the  Medit- 
erranean, rendered  it  verv  se- 
cure  from  attack  by  land.  This 
city  was  governed  by  its  own 
laws,  and  enjoyed  the  right  of 
asylum.  The  modern  name  is 
Tartoura;  it  now  consists  of  a 
single  street  towards  the  sea. 
A  market  is  held  here,  to  which 
the  Arabs  bring  their  plunder, 
and  the  neighboring  peasants 
their  cattle  and  fruir,  which  they 
barter  for  rice  and  linens, 
brought  from  Egypt,  in  small 
craft,  because  the  water  of  the 
port  is  so  shallow,  as  not  to 
admit  large  vessels.  There  is 
no  mosque  in  the  village;  but  the 
inhabitants  assemble  on  a  plat- 
form, raised  two  feet  and  en- 
circled with  a  wall,  and  there 
attend  public  worship.  The 
coffee  house  is  the  best  build- 
ing and  the  most  frequented  of 
any  place  in  town.  The  place 
furnishes  no  water  which  can 
be  drunk,  excepting  from  a 
fountain  which  issues  from  a 
rock  ten  or  twelve  feet  from  the 
shore  in  the  sea,  where  at  high 
water,  it  is  covered  with  the 
waves.  The  neighborhood  is 
17 


naked  and  destitute  of  trees, 
but  yields  grain.      D^Arvieux. 

DOTHAN,  or  Uothaim, 
a  town  twelve  miles  north  of 
Samaria  and  44  north  from 
Jerusalem,  and  six  west  from 
Tiberias.  Joseph's  brethren 
where  at  Dothan,  when  they 
sold  him  to  the  Ishmaelitish 
merchants,  who  came  from  Gil- 
ead,  Gen.  xxxvii,  17.  The 
camp  of  Holofornes  extended 
from  Dothan,  or  Dothaim,  to 
Belmain,  Judith,  vii,  3.  Trav- 
ellers assert,  that  wells  and 
fountains  abound  in  this 
neighborhood  at  the  present 
time,  and  the  cistern,  or  dry  pit, 
in  which  Joseph  was  confined 
by  his  brethren,  is  still  shown. 
This  is  mentioned  by  several 
travellers.  The  name  of  the 
place  in  Chaldee  signifies 
grass.  This  agrees  well  with 
its  being  selected  by  the  sons 
of  Jacob  for  feeding  their  cat- 
tle. In  these  countries,  where 
water  is  found,  there  generally 
the  grass  is  luxuriant  in  its 
growth. 

DUMAH,  a  town  in  the 
tribe  of  Judah,  and  in  the  south- 
ern region  of  Darom;  it  was 
seventeen  miles  from  Eleuthe- 
ropolis.    Lat.  29. 

DURA,  a  great  plain  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Babylon, 
where  Nebuchadnezzar's  gold- 
en image  of  threescore  cubits 
in  height  was  set  up  to  be  wor- 


KAS 


ECB 


dipped,  which  Shadrach,  Mcs- 
hech,  and  Abednego  refusing 
to  do,  were  cast  into  a  fiery 
furnace,  Dan.  hi,  1,  &c. 

EAST.  By  the  east,  the 
Hebrews  describe  frequently 
not  only  Arabia  Deserta,  and 
the  lands  of  Moab  and  Amnion, 
which  lay  to  the  east  of  Pales- 
tine, but  Assyria,  Mesopota- 
mia, Babylonia,  and  Chaldea, 
which  lie  rather  to  die  north, 
than  to  the  east  of  Judea.  It 
is  said,  Gen.  xi,  1,  2,  that  the 
"sons  of  Noah  having  but  one 
language,  departed  from  the 
east,  and  came  into  the  land  of 
Shinar."  Here  some  difficul- 
ties have  been  raised;  for  the 
land  of  Shinar  is  not  the  west 
of  Armenia,  where  the  ark  is 
supposed  by  many  to  have 
rested;  and  Armenia  does  not 
lie  to  the  east  of  Babvlonia, 
where  the  land  of  Shinar  was. 
It  is  with  painful  regret,  that 
we  find  our  limits  forbid  a 
discussion  of  this  subject.  We 
only  say,  that  in  the  learned 
Asiatic  Researches,  it  is  made 
abundantly  evident,  that  the 
original  country  of  Abraham 
was  far  east  from  Mesopota- 
mia, between  the  Tigris  and 
Euphrates,  on  the  eastern  bank 
of  the  Gihoon,  and  between 
that  stream  and  the  Jaxartes, 
exactly  answering  the  Syriac 
word  Mesopotamia,  i.  e.  be- 
tween the  rivers.     This  name 


travelled   westward    with    the 
colony,  who  settled   in  Shinar. 

EBAL,  a  celebrated  moun- 
tain, in  the  tribe  of  Ephraim, 
near  Shechem,  over  against 
mount  Gerizim.  These  two 
mountains  are  so  near  each 
other,  that  nothing  but  a  valley 
of  about  two  hundred  paces 
wide  separates  them,  and  in 
this  valley  is  the  town  of  Shec- 
hem. The  two  mountains  arc 
much  alike  in  length,  height, 
and  form;  their  figure  is  a 
semicircle,  and  on  the  side  of 
Shechem  they  are  so  steep, 
that  there  is  not  the  least  shelv- 
ing in  them;  they  are  at  most 
half  a  league  in  length;  but  if 
they  are  alike  in  tiie  particulars 
abovementioned,  in  another 
they  are  very  unlike;  for  Ebai 
is  entirely  barren;  Gerizim  is 
fruitful. 

EBENEZER,  that  is,  the 
stone  of  help,  which  was  'near 
Bethsiiemeth,  according  to  Jer- 
ome, in  the  north  of  Judah. 

ECBATANA,  a  city  of  Me- 
dia, which,  according  to  Hero- 
dotus, was  built  by  Dejoces, 
king  of  the  Medes,  and  encom- 
passed with  seven  wails  of  un- 
equal heights,  and  different  col- 
oi  s;  the  first  was  white,  the 
second  black,  the  third  red, 
the  fourth  blue,  the  fifth  a  deep 
red,  the  sixth  was  done  over 
with  silver,  and  the  seventh 
gilded.     For  beauty  and  mag- 


: 


ECB 


mm 


nificence  this  city  was  a  rival 
to  Babylon  and  Nineveh.  The 
wails  were  24  miles  in  circuit, 
more  than  a  hundred  feet  in 
height,  seventy-five  feet  broad; 
the  towert.  upon  the  gates  one 
hunched  and  fifty  feet  higher, 
all  built  of  hewn  and  polished 
stones,  each  ni:ie  feet  long,  and 
four  and  a  half  broad.  This  is 
a  description  of  the  inner  wall. 
The  others  were  not  so  high. 
The  royul  palace  was  a  mile 
in  circuit;  some  of  its  beams 
were  silver;  the  rest  were  ce- 
dar, strengthened  with  plates  of 
gold.  This  was  the  residence 
of  fhePeisian  kings  in  summer, 
as  Susa  was  in  winter.  The 
first  book  of  Judith  attributes 
the  building  of  this  city  to  Ar- 
phaxad,  who,  in  the  opinion  of 
Usher  and  Dr.  Prideaux,  is  the 
same  with  Dcjoces,  though  F. 
Calmet  takes  him  to  be  no 
other  than  Phraortes,  the  suc- 
cessor of  Dejoces.  Josephus 
says  this  city  was  built  by  Dan- 
iel the  prophet.  In  the  Vul- 
gate Bible,  Ezra  vi,  2,  we  read, 
at  Ecbatana  in  Media,  was 
found  a  copy  of  Cyrus's  edict, 
by  which  the  Jews  were  per- 
mitted to  return  to  their  own 
country. 

But  several  interpreters  trans- 
late Achmetha,  which  is  the 
original,  and  which  our  trans- 
lators have  retained,  a  strong 
vox,  a  press,  a  coffer,  which  lay 


amongst  the  old  records  of  Me- 
dia; this,  though  the  most 
modern,  Le  Clerc  assures  us 
is  the  true  readinr.   Lat.  37,15. 

EDAR,  a  tower  near  Jeru- 
salem. 

EDEN,  a  valley  between 
Libanus  and  Anti-LibrmuS,  ac- 
cording to  the  learned  Huetius. 
The  place  is  referred  to  Amos 
i,  5.  "I  will  break  the  bar  of 
Damascus,  and  cut  off  the  in- 
habitant from  the  plain  of  Aven, 
and  him  that  holds  the  sceptre 
from  the  house  of  Eden.  Hue- 
tius observes,  that  this  valley 
deserved  the  name  of  Eden, 
or  rather  Beth-Eden,  the  House 
of  Pleasure,  by  reason  of  its 
fertility  and  pleasantness.  This 
induced  some  to  believe,  that 
Paradise  stood  here,  and  the 
rather  because  they  found  in 
the  neighborhood  a  town  call- 
ed Paradise,  mentioned  by  Pli- 
ny, lib.  i,  cap.  23,  and  Ptolemy. 
They  persuaded  themselves, 
also,  that  here  Adam  was  cre- 
ated, and  Cain  killed  his  broth- 
er. This  seems  to  be  the  place 
Mr.  Maundrel  notices  in  his 
journey,  going  from  Damascus 
towards  Tripoli;  having  trav- 
elled four  hours  and  a  half  from 
Damascus,  he  came  to  a  small 
village  named  Sinre,near  which 
is  an  ancient  structure,  on  the 
top  of  a  high  hill,  supposed  to 
be  the  tomb  of  Abel,  who., 
some  say,  was  murdered  in  this 


EDE 


EDE 


place.  The  tomb  is  thirty- 
yards  long,  and  yet  is  believed 
to  have  been  just  proportioned 
to  the  stature  of  Abel.  Here, 
(adds  Mr.  Maundrel)  we  en- 
tered into  a  narrow  gut, 
between  two  steep  rocky 
mountains,  the  river  Barrady 
running  at  the  bottom.  On 
the  other  side  of  the  river  were 
several  tall  pillars,  which  ex- 
cited our  curiosity  to  go  and 
take  a  nearer  view  of  them. 
We  found  them  part  of  the 
front  of  some  ancient  and  very 
magnificent  edifice,  but  of  what 
kind  we  could  not  conjecture. 
Now  it  is  not  unlikely  that  this 
valley  might  formerly  have  the 
name  of  Eden  given  to  it;  no 
doubt  but  it  was  esteemed  a 
pleasant  place,  and  this  was  the 
inducement  to  build  here  an 
edifice,  which  by  reason  of  its 
pleasant  situation  was  called 
Beth-Eden. 

Eden,  a  village  near  Tripoli 
in  Syria  on  Mount  Libanus, 
where  some  likewise  have 
placed  the  earthly  Paradise. 
This  village  is  also  noticed  by 
Mr.  Maundrel,  who  tells  us 
that  having  gone  for  three 
hours  across  the  plains  of 
Tripoli,  he  arrived  at  the  foot 
of  Libanus,  and  thence  con- 
tinually ascending,  not  with- 
out great  fatigue,  came  in  four 
hours  and  a  half  to  a  small 
village   called   Eden,   and    in 


two  hours  and  a  half  more  to 
the  cedars. 

Eden,  a  place  in  the  prov- 
ince of  Thelasar,  2  Kings  xix, 
12.  "The  children  of  Eden 
who  were  in  Thelasar,"  and 
again  Isaiah  xxxvii,  12,  "The 
children  of  Eden  wh6  were  in 
Thelasar."  But,  saith  the  learn- 
ed Sanson,  where  this  Eden  is, 
it  is  not  easy  to  sayT,  unless 
Thelasar  be  Edessa.  Edessa 
was  a  city  of  Mesopotamia, 
the  country  in  which  some 
have  placed  the  Eden  of  our 
first  parents,  and  was  built  four 
hundred  years  before  Christ. 

Eden,  a  province  in  the 
East,  where  Paradise  was  sit- 
uated. Gen.  ii,  8.  See  Par* 
adise. 

The  self  love  and  partialities 
of  mankind  have  their,  influ- 
ence in  locating  this  happy 
spot,  as  well  as  in  deciding  a 
thousand  other  questions  of 
much  greater  *  importance. 
Several  nations  seem  to  have 
imagined  their  dignity  was 
concerned  in  placing  the  gar- 
den of  Eden  within  their  bor- 
ders. This,  with  the  partial 
knowledge  obtained,  concern- 
ing the  geography  of  remote 
countries,  have  greatly  em- 
barrassed the  subject.  Pos- 
sibly, another  difficulty  may 
have  arisen  from  our  local  ideas. 
Eden  has  been  supposed,  some 
small  circumscribed  spot;  but, 


-,DE 


EDE 


perhaps,  if  we  carefully  ob- 
serve, we  shall  find,  that  the 
sacred  writer  selects  two  Dis- 
tricts. First,  that  of  Eden, 
which,  it  may  be  presumed, 
was  a  considerable  place,  per- 
haps a  large  and  fruitful  coun- 
try, as  we  say  India,  or  Italy. 
Secondly,  God  selected  from 
this  country  a  garden,  which 
was  in  Eden.  Or,  as  one  wri- 
ter renders  it,  "And  the  Lord 
God  planted  a  garden  in  Eden, 
beyond  Kedem"  The  Scptu- 
agmt  thus  translates  the  pas- 
sage, "God  planted  a  paradise 
in  Eden."  In  the  country  of 
Eden  a  particular  spot  was  de- 
voted to  the  purposes  of  a 
garden.  In  imitation  of  this, 
we  read  in  the  poets  of  the 
garden  of  Adonis,  of  the  Hes- 
perides,  &c. 

The  word  Eden,  which  in 
the  Hebrew  tongue,  according 
to  its  primary  acceptation, 
signifies  pleasure,  and  delight, 
in  a  secondary  sense  is  fre- 
quently made  the  proper  name 
of  several  places,  which  are 
either  more  remarkably  fruit- 
ful in  their  soil,  or  pleasant  in 
their  situation.  Now,  of  all 
the  places  which  go  under  this 
name,  the  learned  have  looked 
upon  the  following  four,  as  the 
most  suitable  countries  in 
which  to  inquire  for  the  ter- 
restrial Paradise.  The  first  is 
that  which  we  have  just  notic- 


ed, and  which  the  prop] 
Amos,  i,  5,  seems  to  take  no- 
tice of,  when  he  divides  Syria 
into  three  parts,  namely  Dam- 
ascus, the  plain  of  Aven,  and 
the  house  of  Eden,  called 
Cce.lo- Syria,  or  the  Hollow 
Syria,  because  the  mountains 
of  Libanus  and  Anti-Libanus 
enclose  it  on  both  sides,  and 
make  it  a  valley.  The  second 
place,  where  many  learned 
men  have  sought  for  the  coun- 
try of  Eden,  is  Armenia,  be- 
tween the  sources  of  the  Ti- 
gris, the  Euphrates,  the  Ar- 
axis,  and  the  Phasis,  which 
they  suppose  to  be  the  four 
rivers,  specified  by  Moses, 
Gen.  ii,  10,  &c.  The  third 
place,  and  that  where  the  coun- 
try of  Eden,  as  mentioned  by 
Moses,  seems,  to  the  authors 
of  the  Universal  History,  most 
likely  to  be  situated,  is  in 
Chaldea,  not  far  from  the 
banks  of  the  river  Euphrates. 
To  this  purpose,  when  we  find 
Rabshekah,  vaunting  of  his 
master,  2  Kings  xix,  12,  and 
Isa.  xxxvii,  12,  "Have  the 
Gods  of  the  nations  delivered 
them  which  my  fathers  have 
destroyed,  as  Gozan,  and  Ha- 
ran,  and  Rezeph,  and  the  chil- 
dren of  Eden,  which  were  in 
Thelasar?"  As  Thelasar  in 
general  signifies  any  garrison 
or  fortification,  so  here  more 
particularly,    it    denotes    that 


EDE 


EDE 


sirong  fort,  which  the  children 
of  Eden  held  in  an  island  in 
the  Euphrates,  towards  the 
east  of  Babylon,  as  a  barrier 
against  the  incursions  of  the 
Assyrians,  on  that  side;  and 
therefore  in  all  probability  the 
country  of  Eden  lay  on  the 
west  side,  or  rather  on  both 
sides  of  the  river  Euphrates, 
after  its  conjunction  with  the 
Tigris,  a  little  below  the  place 
where,  in  process  of  time  the 
famous  city  of  Babylon  was 
built.  This  country,  all  au- 
thors agree,for  its  pleasantness, 
and  fruitfulness,  answers  the 
character,  which  Moses  gives 
of  it.  But  in  order  to  ascer- 
tain the  place  where  the  gar- 
den of  Eden  was  situated, 
from  a  consideration  of  his 
description  of  the  four  rivers, 
we  must  refer  the  reader  to 
what  will  be  said  under  the 
name  of  each  of  these  rivers, 
and  under  the  article  Paradise, 
whence  he  may  see  the  several 
claims  that  each  of  the  three 
countries,  already  mentioned 
have  to  this  garden."  But  the 
fourth  deserves  particular  no- 
tice, as  it  has  been  brought 
forward  more  recently,  and 
from  very  high  authority.  In 
the  Researches  of  the  learned 
Asiatic  Society,  we  are  in- 
formed, that  according  to  an- 
cient tradition,  countenanced 
by  the  sacred  books   of  the 


Persians  and  Hindoos,  the 
Parents  of  mankind  lived  in 
that  mountainous  tract,  which 
extends  from  Bolku  and  Can- 
dahar  to  the  Ganges.  Accord- 
ingly, says  the  learned  writer, 
in  this  tract  is  found  a  spot 
minutely  answering  the  de- 
scription, which  MosCs  has 
given  of  Eden  in  the  book  of 
Genesis.  A  winding  brook 
forms  a  small  lake,  from  this 
lake  issues  four  large  rivers. 
The  first  was  called  Pbispn, 
but  now  the  Landi-Simlh. 
Gold  is  still  found  in  its  sands* 
and  precious  stones  in  die  vi- 
cinity. The  second  was  Gi- 
hon.  This  is  now  the  Hir- 
Mend;  the  country  through 
which  it  flows  is  the  ancient 
Cusha.  The  third  was  Hid- 
dekel,  that  is  now  supposed  to 
be  the  Bahlac.  The  fourth 
was  called  the  Frat,  or  Eu- 
phrates, but  is  now  the  Cun- 
daz. 

Though  every  country  on 
the  globe  has  been  searched  to 
find  a  situation  like  that  de- 
scribed by  Moses;  though 
many  other  places  have  been 
supposed  the  favorite  abode 
of  the  first  human  pair;  yet 
no  one,  it  is  said,  has  been 
found  so  entirely  correspond- 
ing with  the  description  given 
in  the  book  of  Genesis.  Ac- 
cordingly, what  is  worthy  of 
notice,  as  showing  what  strong; 


KDO 


EDO 


impressions  the  tradition  has 
m  iJe  in  the  neighborhood,  the 
Hindoos  have  placed  a  destroy- 
ing angel  to  represent  that  de- 
scribed in  Genesis,  which  is 
the  image  of  a  cherub  or  y-  »ung 
man,  with  the  countenance,  the 
wings,  and  talons  of  an  eagle, 
at  the  entrance  or  gate  of  the 
passes  leading  to  this  suppos- 
ed garden  of  Eden.  See  the 
article  East. 

EDOM,  Land  oj]  in  its 
most  prosperous  state  was 
bounded  N-  by  Canaan,  and 
the  lake  Asphaltites,  E.  by 
Midian,  S.  by  the  Red  Sea, 
W.  by  the  Amalekites.  This 
country  is  mountainous  and 
desert,  with  few  streams;  but 
many  springs  supply  the  peo- 
ple with  water.  The  most 
remarkable  places  in  Edom 
were  Teman,  Bozrah,  Dedan, 
Eziongeber,  Elath,  Mount 
Hor,  where  Aaron  died,  &c. 

The  Edomites  descended 
from  Esau,  the  brother  of  Ja- 
cob. Before  their  birth  it  was 
revealed  to  their  mother  that 
"the  elder  should  serve  the 
younger."  In  blessing  Jacob, 
the  younger,  the  father  said, 
"Be  lord  over  thy  brethren, 
and  let  thy  mother 's  sens  bow 
down  to  thee."  To  Esau,  he 
said,  "Thou  shalt  serve  thy 
brother."  The  intelligent 
reader  does  not  need  to  be  in- 
formed, that  such  prophecies 


refer  less  to  the  persons  _ad 
dressed,  than  to  their  posteri- 
ty, the  people  who  may  de- 
scend from  them.  These 
prophecies  then  lead  us  to  ex- 
pect that  the  Edomites  shall 
be  found  tributaries  to  the  de- 
scendants of  Jacob,  who  were 
the  Israelites.  See  1  Kings 
xi,  16,  and  1  Chron.  xviii,  12; 
where  these  prophecies  are 
verified  in  history.  David 
fought  and  conquered  the  E- 
domites,  2  Sam.  viii,  14.  Ht 
put  garrisons  in  Edom,  and  all 
they  of  Edom  became  David's 
servants.  In  this  state  of  sub- 
jugation, they  continued  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  years, 
governed  by  officers,  appoint- 
ed by  the  kings  of  Judah.  In 
the  time  of  Jehosophat,  it  is 
said,  there  was  no  king  in 
Edom,  a  deputy  was  king. 
But  in  the  time  of  Jehoram 
his  son,  they  revolted,  recov- 
ered their  libertv,  and  made  a 
king  over  themselves,  2  Kings 
viii,  20.  This  had  been  fore- 
seen in  prophecy.  "Thou 
shalt  break  his  yoke  from  oft" 
thy  neck."  But  afterward 
Amaziah,  king  of  Judah,  "slew 
of  Edom  in  the  valley  of  salt 
ten  thousand,  and  took  Selah 
by  war,"  2  Kings  xiv,  7.  And 
other  ten  thousand  left  alive, 
did  the  children  of  Judah  earn 
away  captive  and  brought  them 
unto  the   top  of  the  rock  on 


EDO 


EGY" 


which   Selah   was   buiit,    and 
cast  them  down  from  the  top 
of  the   rock,    and  they   were 
broken   all   in   pieces.     Elah, 
that    distinguished    haven    on 
the    Red    Sea,    Uzziah    took 
from  them.      Afterwards  Ju- 
das     Maccabeus      conquered 
them  and  killed  twenty  thou- 
sand at  one  time,   and    more 
than  twenty  thousand  at  anoth- 
er time;  Hebron  he  took,  pul- 
led down  the  forts,  and  burned 
the  towers.    His  nephew  Hyr- 
canus  took  other  cities,    and 
compelled    them    to    fly   from 
their  country  or  adopt  the  Jew- 
ish religion.     They   were  cir- 
cumcised    and     incorporated 
with  the  Jewish  church.  Thus 
have  the  Edomites  at  different 
times    been     conquered     and 
made   tributary  to   the  Jews, 
though    the  Jews   were  never 
subdued  by  them.     This  is  the 
more    noticeable,    from    their 
warlike  character.     A  state  of 
vassalage   did   not   extinguish 
their  martial  spirit.   They  were 
uhvavs  a  turbulent,  furious  race 
of  men.     But  their  light  has 
gone  out;  their  very  name  is 
almost  forgotten.     About  the 
iirst  century  after  Christ  their 
name  was  abolished,   and   the 
remnants  of  the  tribe  scattered 
among   the  Arabs   and   Jews. 
The  prophets  had  also  foretold 
this.     Obadiah  ver.   10,  "For 
ihy  violence  against  thy  brother 


Jacob,  shame  shall  cover  thee, 
and' thou  shalt  be  cut  oft*  for 
ever;"  and  again,  ver.  18, 
"There  shall  not  be  any  re- 
maining of  the  house  of  Esau, 
for  the  Lord  hath  spoken  it." 
The  country  of  Edom  is  now  the 
range  of  wild  Arabs.    Newton. 

ED  RE  I,  a  town  beyond 
Jordan,  in  the  tribe  of  Manas- 
seh,  Josh.  xiii,31.  This  was  the 
capital  of  Bashan.  In  the  first 
ages  of  Christianity,  this  place 
was  the  residence  of  a  bishop. 
Also  the  name  of  another  town 
in  the  tribe  of  Naphtali.  Josh, 
xix,  37. 

EDUMA,  a' village  of  Pal- 
estine, twelve  miles  east  from 
Sheehem. 

EGLAIM,  IsaS.  xv,  8,  or 
Gallini,  1  Sam.  xxv,  44,  a  city 
be\ond  Jordan,  to  the  east  of 
the  Dead  Sea  in  the  land  of 
Moab. 

EGLON,  the  name  of  a  city 
in  the  tribe  of  Judah.  This 
place  was  not  far  from  La- 
chish,  and  twelve  miles  from 
Eleutheropolis  east.  In  the 
time  of  Eusebius,  it  was  a 
large  town.  This  was  a  royal 
city  in  the  clays  of  Joshua,  its 
king  was  destroyed  by  the  He- 
brew commander.  Lat.  31,34. 

EGYPT,  a  country  of  Af- 
rica, situated  between  the  48th 
and  53d  degrees  of  E.  longi- 
tude, and  the  24th  and  33d  of 
N.  latitude,  being   600   miles 


KGY 


EGY 


long,  and  500  broad,  it  is 
bounded  south  by  Ethiopia, 
north  by  the  Mediterranean 
Sea,  east  by  the  Arabian  Gulf 
or  the  Red  Sea,  and  the  Isth- 
mus &f  Suez,  and  west  by 
Lybia.  Egypt,  called  by  its 
ancient  inhabitants  Chemia, 
and  by  the  Copts  at  present 
Chemia,  was  so  named,  as  is 
supposed,  from  Ham  the  son 
of  Noah,  being  more  than  once 
styled  the  land  of  Ham,  in  the 
book  of  Psalms.  But  the  name 
by  which  it  is  generally  denot- 
ed in  scripture,  is,  the  land  of 
Mizraim,  who  was  a  son  of 
Ham;  whence  the  Arabians  and 
other  oriental  nations  still  call 
it  Mesr;  but  the  reason  of  its 
being  called  Egypt,  is  various- 
ly accounted  for. 

Nothing  is   more   common 
in  Scripture,  than  the  name  of 
Egypt.   This  country,  properly 
speaking,  was  the  cradle  of  the 
Hebrew  nation.    Joseph  being 
carried  thither,  and  sold  a  slave, 
was  soon,  by  Providence,  es- 
tablished  governor,  and  as  it 
were   viceroy,    of    all   Egypt. 
Hither    he   invited  his   father 
and  all  his  family,  to  the  num- 
ber of  about  seventy  persons; 
and  after  an  abode  of  two  hun- 
dred and  fifteen  years,  they  de- 
parted thence,  in  number  six 
hundred   and   three    thousand 
five  hundred  and  fifty  men  ca- 
pable of  bearing  arms,  beside 
18 


women    and   children.      The 
king  of  Egypt  not  permitting 
the  Hebrews  to  leave  his  coun- 
try, Moses  afflicted  Egypt  with 
ten  plagues,  before  this  obsti- 
nate prince  could  resolve  with 
himself  to  let  such  a  number 
of  people   go,  whom    he    had 
enslaved,   and  from  whom  he 
had    received    great    services; 
and   after   he    had    dismissed 
them,  and  compelled  them  to 
go  away,  he  repented,  pursued 
them  with  his  army,  and  per- 
haps imperceptibly  in  a  dark 
night  followed  them  into  the 
channel  of  the  Red  Sea,  where 
he  perished  with  all  his  forces. 
The  Egyptians   have    been 
thought  the   inventors    of   all 
arts  and  sciences:  they  commu- 
nicated their  false  theology  to 
the  Greeks,  who,  it  is  on  all 
hands    allowed,    received    the 
names  of  their  deities  from  the 
Egyptians;    these   carried   su- 
perstition and  idolatry  farther 
than  any  other  people,  worship- 
ping stars,  men,  animals,  and 
even  plants.     In    imitation  o£ 
them,    the    Hebrews    adored 
the  golden  calf  in  the  wilder- 
ness; and  Jeroboam  set  up  the 
like  figures,  which  he  recom- 
mended   to  his  people,  as  ob-< 
jects  of  worship,  which  were 
objects  of  Egyptian  worship. 
This  country, once  proverbially 
fruitful,  and  which    su.ppor.ted 
8,O0O,Q0O   inhabitants,  beside 


EGY 


EGY 


exporting  vast  quantities  of 
provisions,  has  now  greatly 
declined.  For  twelve  hundred 
years,  it  has  been  subject  to  a 
people,  who  have  not  been 
agriculterists.  This  accounts 
for  the  depopulation  of  this 
country  as  well  as  Palestine. 
The  inhabitants  of  Egypt,  now 
are  not  probably  more  than 
2,500,000.  The  cultivated 
lands  are  every  year  decreas- 
ing; sands  are  accumulating  in 
their  fields.  When  rain  falls 
there  is  general  joy,  the  people 
assemble  in  the  streets;  they 
sing;  they  are  all  in  motion; 
they  shout,  Ye  Allah,  ye  Mob- 
arek,  i.  e.  Oh  God,  oh  bles- 
sed. Volney. 

The  great  reservoirs  of  water, 
or  artificial  lakes,  which  once 
were  employed  for  watering 
their  fields,  as  the  Moeris,  Ba- 
hira,  and  Mareotis,  &c.  by  the 
present  vicious  government  are 
suffered  to  be  destroyed.  Of 
80  canals,  used  for  watering 
the  country,  several  of  which 
were  60, 90,  and  120  miles  long, 
all  excepting  six,  are  nearly 
filled  up.  Lands,  which  for- 
merly were  loaded  with  wheat, 
wine,  and  fruit,  are  now  barren 
deserts  without  a  tree,  plant, 
or  shrub.  It  is  asserted  that 
formerlyEgy  pt  su  pplied  the  Ro- 
mans annually  with  20,000,000 
bushels  of  wheat. 

The  climate  of  this  country 


seems  to  be  healthy.  Old  men 
are  numerous;  many  ride  on 
horseback  at  80  years  of  age. 
In  the  hot  season,  they  live 
chiefly  on  vegetables,  pulse,  and 
milk.  They  bathe  often,  eat 
little,  and  seldom  drink  fer- 
mented liquors,  but  mingle 
much  lemon  juice  in  their  food. 
Diseases  of  the  eyes  are  com- 
mon, from  the  reflection  of  the 
sun  from  the  sand  and  other 
glaring  objects.  Eight  thou- 
sand blind  people  are  support- 
ed in  the  grand  mosque  of 
Cairo.  Fulmonary  consump- 
tions, which  in  cold  countries, 
and  particularly  in  New  Eng- 
land, destroy  so  many  persons 
in  the  blossom  of  youth,  are 
unknown  in  the  warm  climate 
of  Egypt.  The  plague  is  not 
a  native  of  Egypt,  but  is  often 
imported  in  Turkish  vessels, 
begins  its  dreadful  course  in 
the  seaports,  travels  to  Cairo, 
and  even  Syene,  and  some- 
times sweeps  off  2  or  300,000 
persons.  It  always  stops,  or 
ceases  to  be  mortal  in  June. 

The  splendid  and  magnifi- 
cent ruins  scattered  Over  this 
country,  give  proof  of  high  cul- 
tivation enjoyed  by  the  ancient 
inhabitants.  The  pyramids,  to 
mention  no  other  monuments 
of  their  labors,  are  noticed  by 
all  travellers.  Three  of  these 
are  distinguished  from  the  rest, 
on  account  of  their  enormous 


EGY 


EGY 


size.  They  are  of  stone;  the 
largest  is  600  feet  high,  and 
covers  8  or  10  acres  of  land. 
Different  have  been  the  opin- 
ions of  learned  men  con- 
cerning the  design  of  these  im- 
mense piles.  Some  have  sup- 
posed them  royal  tombs;  some 
have  thought  them  altars;  the 
learned  Bryant  supposes  them 
temples,  dedicated  to  the  wor- 
ship of  the  Deity;  it  appears 
that  idols  of  the  highest  anti- 
quity were  shaped  in  the  form 
of  a  pyramid.  The  labyrinth, 
cut  from  a  marble  rock,  con- 
tains twelve  palaces,  having  in 
the  whole,  1,500  rooms,  con- 
nected with  12  halls.  There 
are  also  1,500  houses  formed  in 
the  same  manner.       Sonini. 

The  mummy  pits  contain 
the  generationSjWhich  are  gone; 
some  of  these  embalmed  bod- 
ies, are  perfectly  preserved, 
though  they  have  been  dead 
3000  years.  The  government  is 
dreadful.  The  prophet  Eze- 
kiel  has  foretold  thousands  of 
years  ago,  "Egypt  should  be- 
come the  basest  among  the 
kingdoms,  for  I  will  diminish 
them,  and  they  shall  no  more 
rule  over  the  nations,"  Ezek. 
xxix,  11.  "And  there  shall  be 
no  more  a  prince  of  the  land  of 
Egypt,"  Ezek.  xxx,  13.  All 
this  has  been  remarkably  veri- 
fied. To  effect  which,  Provi- 
dence has  introduced  a  singu- 


lar course  of  events.  Previous 
to  the  middle  of  the  thirteenth 
century,  a  number  of  slaves, 
bought  by  the  Egyptian  mer- 
chants, and  sold  to  private  peo- 
ple, had  been  purchased  by  the 
Sultan,  who  had  given  them  a 
military  education, and  employ- 
ed them  to  defend  the  maritime 
towns  of  the  kingdom.  The 
occasion  of  this  measure  was,  the 
Egyptians,  by  a  long  course 
of  political  slavery,  had  become 
so  cowardly,  treacherous,  and 
base,  that  they  were  incapable 
of  exercising  military  talents. 
On  the  contrary,  these  strangers 
having  no  friends,  but  in  their 
own  corps,  turned  all  their  at- 
tention to  the  military  art, 
and  made  excellent  soldiers. 
These  Mamelukes,  as  they 
were  called  in  1250,  assassin- 
ated the  reigning  Sultan,  and 
made  themselves  masters  of  all 
Egypt,  and  chose  a  Sultan  from 
their  own  body.  This  author- 
ity, they  have  never  wholly 
lost.  Though  there  have  been 
revolutions  among  themselves, 
as  in  1382,  and  though  they 
were  conquered  by  the  Turks 
in  1517,  yet  the  conquerors 
thought  proper  to  establish  a 
new  government  of  Mamelukes, 
so  that  yet  there  "is  no  more  a 
prince  of  the  land."  To  un- 
derstand this,  we  must  be  in- 
formed that  the  race  of  Mame- 
lukes is  not  continued  bv  chil- 


EGY 


EGY 


dren  succeeding  their  parents. 
On  the  contrary,  Mr.  Volney, 
(who  certainly  did  not  inten- 
tionally, though  he  did  in  fact, 
confirm  the  inspiration  of  the 
prophets)  assures  us,  that  during 
the  550  years  in  which  there 
had  been  Mamelukes  in  Egypt, 
not  one  of  them  has  left  issue, 
all  their  children  perish  in  the 
first  or  second  descent.  The 
means  by  which  the  Mame- 
lukes are  kept  in  existence  is 
the  same,  as  that  by  which  they 
were  first  introduced,  by  slaves 
bought  from  the  banks  of  the 
Cuban  and  Phasis.  "It  is  a 
base,  miserable  kingdom;  the 
situation  of  the  common  peo- 
ple is  most  calamitous.  They 
are  distressed  by  poverty,  rob- 
bed by  the  Arabs,  and  oppres- 
sed by  the  Mamelukes.  The 
whole  conversation, when  neigh- 
bors meet,  relates  to  the  mur- 
ders, the  bastinadoes,  and  exe- 
cutions, the  insurrections,  and 
Sufferings  of  the  country.  A 
sentence  of  death  is  instantly 
executed,  though  pronounced 
without  the  form  of  a  trial.  The 
officers,  who  go  the  rounds  in 
the  streets  by  day  or  night,  are 
accompanied  by  executioners, 
who  carry  leathern  bags  for  re- 
ceiving the  heads,  which  they 
may  cut  off  during  their  excur- 
sion. When  a  person  is  sum- 
moned before  a  Bey,  i.e.  a  prin- 
cipal officer  of  the  government, 


a  sum  of  money  is  demanded. 
If  he  deny  his  ability  to  pay  the 
sum,  he  is  thrown  on  his  back, 
and  receives  300  or  400 
blows  on  the  soles  of  his  feet, 
or  is  perhaps  instantly  put  to 
death. 

There  is  a  general  similarity 
of  character  wherever  the  Ma- 
hometan religion  prevails.  The 
precepts  of  the  Koran  give  a 
peculiar  complexion  to  the  hu- 
man mind.  The  best  people 
in  the  country  are  the  Christian 
Copts.  They  are  ingenious, 
have  skill  in  business,  and  are 
much  employed  as  writers  and 
accomptants.  Their  women 
have  pleasant  countenances, 
black  eyes,  and  elegant  forms. 
The  Arabs  are  the  most  nume- 
rous people.  Some  of  them 
cultivate  their  lands,  and  tend 
their  flocks.  Others  employ 
themselves  only  as  shepherds. 
Bedoween  Arabs  are  more  in- 
dependent, are  ferocious,  and 
live  in  warfare.  As  hi  every 
other  part  of  the  globe,  so  here, 
the  Jews  are  hated,  and  a  bye 
word.  They  are  the  rivals  of 
theCopts  in  those  employments, 
which  require  some  learning. 
The  furniture  of  a  Bedoween 
family  is  a  mill  to  grind  coffee 
and  corn,  a  round  iron  platea 
on  which  they  bake  their  cakes, 
a  coffee  pot,  a  few  goat  skins 
for  holding  water,  and  a  tent 
cloth,  in  which  their  furniture 


EGY 


EG\ 


is  wrapped,  when  they  remove. 
At  their  entertainments  the 
provisions  are  plenty,  but  they 
June  neither  chairs,  plates, 
spoons,  forks,  nor  napkins. 

T|le  Koran  has  covered  the 
•ountry  with  darkness.  Egypt 
is  far  inferior  to  itself  in  former 
times.  The  present  learning 
consists  of  a  little  arithmetic, 
a  few  nostrums  in  medicine, 
the  precepts  of  the  Koran,  and 
the  jargon  ofastrology.  Though 
the  prevailing  religion  is  Ma- 
hometan, yet  there  are  many 
Christian  Copts,  who  have  their 
priests  and  monasteries.  Noth- 
ing can  be  more  vile  to  Ma- 
hometans, than  Christians. 
They  consider  their  dissolute 
females  profaned,  if  they  are 
only  seen  by  a  Christian. 
Some  of  the  Mahometan  en- 
thusiasts spend  their  lives  re- 
peating the  word  Allah.  Others 
crouch  under  a  wall,  and  live 
on  charity.  Some  beat  their 
heads  with  a  stone;  some  sing 
hymns,  covered  with  garlands, 
and  others  stand  naked  and 
motionless  through  life,  never 
asking  for  any  thing,  or  giv- 
ing thanks  for  what  is  given 
them. 

I  shall  conclude  the  account 
of  Egypt  with  a  few  miscella- 
neous remarks,  which  may  re- 
ceive some  additional  interest 
from  having  been  very  recently 
made  by  two  learned  gentle* 


men  in  1801.     ''On  the  banks 

of  the  Nile,  saith  he,  the  Arabs 
cultivate  melons,  gourds,  to- 
bacco, indigo,  Indian  corn,  and 
other  vegetables.  The  water 
of  the  Nile,  not  only  fertilizes 
the  lands  between  its  streams; 
but  on  each  side  of  its  exter- 
nal channels,  and  even  where 
the  inundation  does  not  appear. 
The  cause  may  be,  the  ground 
im  bibes  the  water  below  its 
surface,  the  roots  striking  down 
some  depth,  reach  the  nourish- 
ment of  the  water.  The  water 
which  the  farmer  needs  is  often 
in  a  canal  below  the  level  of 
the  land,  which  he  must  re- 
fresh. 

In  Egy.pjjjfiiel  is  the  article 
most  difficult  to  be  found;  it  is 
ordinarily  brought  from  Asia 
Minor.  When  the  English 
army  was  there,  they  were  un- 
der the  necessity  of  purchasing 
cow  dung  from  the  Arabian 
women,  who  form  it  for  L.ile, 
into  cakes,  mixed  with  straw, 
and  dry  it  on  the  sides  of  their 
houses.  This  custom  is  not 
unknown  in  other  eastern 
countries.  Thus  the  gay 
Voltaire  was  indebted  to 
his  ignorance  of  Oriental  cus- 
toms, for  the  pleasure  of  his 
sarcasms,  respecting  Ezikiel 
the  prophet.  In  Egypt,  as  the 
night  sets  in,  the  people  retire 
to  rest;  many  of  the  men  lie 
out  abroad,  scattered  over  the 


EGY 


EGY 


plains,  like  a  flock  of  sheep, 
with  their  clothes  under  them, 
and  covered  with  a  large  hand- 
kerchief, which  they  wear  in 
the  day  time  across  their  shoul- 
ders. This  is  the  usual  practice 
of  the  Arabs,  during  summer. 
Two  seasons  of  the  year  are 
known  to  this  country,  spring 
and  summer.  Neither  snow,  nor 
hail,  are  seen  here,  once  in  half 
a  century.  Summer  continues 
from  the  beginning  of  March 
to  November;  the  whole  of 
this  time  the  sun  is  sparkling, 
the  air  is  inflamed,  and  is  by 
nine  o'clock  in  the  morning 
insupportable  to  Europeans, 
who  may  be  abroad. 

Cairo,  or  Grand  Cairo,  is  a 
large  city  and  capital  of  the 
country.  The  inhabitants  are, 
like  Egypt  in  general,  a  mix- 
ture of  Arabs,  Copts,  or  an- 
cient Egyptians,  Greeks,  Ar- 
menians, Turks,  and  Mame- 
lukes. The  Arabs  are  the  most 
numerous  class, as  is  indeed  the 
case  in  every  part  of  the  coun- 
try. The  number  of  the  Chris- 
tians is  very  inconsiderable. 
Arabic,  which  is  the  common 
language  of  the  country,  is  al- 
most exclusively  spoken  in 
Cairo.  The  Arabs  marry 
young,  and  have  many  chil- 
dren; but  sickness  sweeps  them 
away.  Their  want  of  proper 
nourishment,  and  the  filthy 
state  in  which  they  live,  pro- 
duce a  dreadful  mortality.  The 


houses  are  in  general  very  spa- 
cious; the  upper  stories  are  of 
bad  brick;  and  have  a  misera- 
ble shabby  appearance.  The 
lower  or  ground  story  is  of 
stone,  without  any  thing  like 
windows,  towards  the  streets, 
which  are  winding,  and  so 
narrow,  that  there  is  scarcely 
room  for  two  horses  to  move 
abreast.  The  fronts  of  the 
houses  in  the  principal  streets, 
have  in  the  lower  story,  small 
recesses,  disconnected  with  the 
house,  which  serve  as  shops, 
two  feet  from  the  ground,  a- 
bout  ten  feet  square.  These 
rooms  appear  to  be  described 
Ezek.  xxxiii,  30,  "by  the 
walls  and  doors  of  the  houses." 
We  do  not  suppose  the  people 
were  so  uncultured  as  to  as- 
semble at  the  doors  of  houses, 
to  talk  against  the  prophet. 
These  rooms  were  shops,where 
the  opposers  of  the  prophet 
met  to  prate  against  him  and 
his  sermons,  the  resort  of  news- 
mongers, tipplers,  and  idlers. 
A  traveller  lately  here,  says, 
"We  took  a  walk  in  the  Bey's 
garden,  &x. — when  we  came 
away  the  old  man  rose,  a  com- 
pliment very  unusually  paid  by 
Turks  to  the  Franks."  This 
may  answer  the  inquiry  which 
is  sometimes  made,  "Why 
would  not  Mordeeai  rise  be- 
fore Haman?"  Esth.  v,  9.  He 
stood  not  up  nor  moved  for 
him.     Our  traveller  observes, 


EGY 


EGY 


it  is  very  unusual  for  persons 
of  a  different  religion  to  rise 
up  and  show  respect  to  one 
another.  Mordecai  did  no 
more  than  the  custom  of  the 
country  allowed,  and  was, 
therefore,  sniiltv  of  no  incivil- 
ity.  Another  traveller  relates, 
that  in  Oran,  a  person  had 
turned  Mahometan;  afterwards 
he  rose  up  and  complimented 
the  French  consul,  from  whom 
he  had  received  some  favor. 
He  was  instantly  reproved  by 
a  Mahometan,  who  said,  How 
came  you  to  stand  up  and  bow 
to  that  infidel?  It  is  beneath 
thee,  to  stand  up  for  the  em- 
peror  of  the  Christians. 

Cairo,  may  be  regarded  as 
the  metropolis  of  all  Africa;  no 
other  city  on  that  continent,  can, 
perhaps,  boast  a  sixth  part  the 
population.  It  consists  of  three 
towns  about  a  mile  apart,  Old 
Cairo,  New  Cairo,  and  the 
port  termed  Billao.  The  an- 
cient town  had  the  name  of 
Mesra.  The  Arabs  now  call 
it  Mesr,  or  Messer,  from  Miz- 
raim.  Old  Cairo  is  reduced  to 
a  small  place,  though  it  is  the 
harbor  for  boats,  which  come 
from  Upper  Egypt.  Some  of 
the  Beys  have  country  houses 
to  which  they  retire,  when  the 
country  is  overflowed  by  the 
Nile.  New  Cairo  stands  about 
three  miles  from  the  river,  and 
extends  nearly  two  miles  east- 


ward towards  the  mountains, and 
is  7  miles  in  circumference.  It  is 
surrounded  by  a  stone  wall  with 
battlements,  and  every  100 
paces  are  towers  capable  of  hold- 
ing many  people.  The  French 
repaired  this  wall,  when  in  pos- 
session of  Cairo.  From  Jo- 
seph's Hall,  there  is  a  delight- 
ful prospect  over  the  city,  the 
Pyramids,  and  ail  the  country 
round.  The  city  is  exceeding- 
ly populous,  containing  nearly 
300,000  souls;  several  families 
living  in  one  house,  and  a  num- 
ber of  people  in  each  room. 
In  the  busy  time  of  the  day  the 
streets  are  so  crowded,  that  it 
is  difficult  to  pass.  The  hous- 
es of  the  better  sort  are  of  hewn 
stone,  2  or  3  stories  high. 
Those  of  the  lower  class  are  of 
sunburnt  brick.  Ignorance  and 
barbarity  reign  within.  None 
but  merchants  can  read  or 
write.  In  Old  Cairo,  the  Copts 
havejl2  churches  and  a  convent. 
The  Roman  Catholics  have  a 
hospital,  belonging  to  the  fath- 
ers of  the  holy  land.  In  New 
Cairo  are  26  Synagogues,  one 
of  the  ancient  Essenes,  who 
reject  all  oral  traditions.  It  is 
on  the  Nile,  100  miles  from  its 
mouth.  There  are  not  less 
than  300  mosques  in  Cairo,  the 
lofty  minarets  make  a  very 
picturesque  appearance.  The 
Europeans  have  consuls  and 
factors  here;  ar.d  it  was  a  place 


.1. 


EGY 


£GY 


of  very  great  trade,  before  the 
"cape  of  Good  Hope  was  discov- 
ered. It  was  taken  by  the 
French  commanded  by  Bona- 
parte, July  23, 1797,  but  after- 
wards abandoned.  The  goods 
entered  at  Cairo  in  1783,  a- 
mounted  to  6  or  7  millions  sterl- 
ing. Rice,  corn,  flax,  and 
coffee  exported  were  valued  at, 
about  2  millions,  besides  oth- 
er articles.  Long.  31,  27,  east, 
Lat.  30,  2,  north.  We.  only 
add,  that,  the  Jews  have  a  syn- 
agogue at  Cairo,  which  they 
say  was  built  more  than  1,600 
years  ago.  Among  many  an- 
cient manuscripts,  which  they 
possess,  is  one  containing  their 
laws,  which  they  pretend  was 
written  by  Ezra.  It  is  kept  in 
a  niche;  a  curtain  is  drawn  be- 
fore it;  a  lamp  is  left  continu- 
ally burning,  and  no  person  is 
allowed  to  touch  it. 

The  inhabitants  are  supplied 
with  wTater  in  part  from  Joseph's 
well,  which  is  two  hundred  and 
eighty  feet  deep,  and  forty  in 
circuit.  It  has  a  winding  gal- 
lery by  which  men  and  cattle 
descend  to  bring  up  the  water. 
The  well  and  the  gallery  are 
hewn  out  of  the  solid  rock. 
The  water  is  drawn  by  means  of 
large  wheels,  which  are  moved 
by  oxen  or  buffaloes.  Water 
is  also  brought  from  the  Nile. 
This  furnishes  employment  for 
a  number  of  people,  who  bring 


it  in  leather  bags,  laid  on  asses 
or  camels.  The  poor,  who 
cannot  afford  to  buy,  go  to  the 
river  themselves,  and  bring  the 
water  on  their  heads  in  earthen 
pitchers.  In  the  vicinity  of  Cai- 
ro is  the  place  to  which  Joseph, 
Mary,  and  the  infant  Jesus  fled 
from  Herod.  The  grotto  in 
which  they  concealed  them* 
selves  is  still  shown.  A  Chris- 
tian church  is  built  over  it,  the 
priests  obligingly  show  their 
Coptic  books  and  other  cu- 
riosities of  the  place.  Po- 
coke,  Lusignan,  So?imi,  Invin^ 
Mariti. 

EGYPT,  River  of,  or  Brook, 
is  frequently  mentioned  in 
scripture,  as  the  southern  limits 
of  the  land  of  Promise,  on  the 
side  of  Egypt.  What  this  riv- 
er of  Egypt  is,  has  been  the 
subject  of  much  inquiry. 
Several  have  taken  it  to  be  the 
brook.  Besor,  otherwise  the 
brook  of  the  wilderness,  1  Sam. 
xxx,  10;  situated  between  Ga- 
za and  Rhinocorua.  Calmet 
and  Le  Clerc  are  clear  that  it 
is  the  Nile,  the  only  river,  which 
flows  through  Egypt.  Amos 
vi,  14,  takes  notice  of  it  by 
the  name  o^  the  river  of  the 
wilderness,  because,  say  they, 
the  most  eastern  arm  of  the 
Nile,  and  the  nearest  to  Canaan, 
was  near  Arabia,  or  the  wilder- 
ness, and  watered  that  canton 
culled  by  the  Egyptians,  Ara.-. 


EGY 


EKtt 


bian.  On  the  contrary  Mr. 
Poole  thinks  the  Nile  cannot  be 
meant  by  the  river  of  Egypt, 
from  its  being  put  in  opposition 
to  the  great  river  Euphrates, 
but  Sihor,  which  he  supposes 
to  be  a  small  river,  dividing 
Egypt  from  Canaan.  Dr. 
Wells  is  decidedly  of  the  same 
opinion, and  we  think  his  reason- 
ing conclusive.  I  come  now, 
saith  he,  to  speak  of  this  prom- 
ise [of  the  land  of  Canaan]  and 
to  begin  with  the  two  ex- 
tremes, here  assigned,  "from 
the  river  of  Egypt  unto  the 
great  river,  the  river  Euphra- 
tes." We  inquire  says  the 
Dr.  what  river  is  this  river  of 
Egypt?  That  the  Nile  is  not 
intended,  is  understood  by  this 
text.  The  Euphrates  being 
styled  the  great  river,  it  may 
reasonably  be  inferred  that  the 
other  river  is  not  a  great  one, 
consequently  it  cannot  be  the 
Nile,  for  the  Nile  is  larger, 
than  the  Euphrates,  especially 
that  part  of  the  river,  which 
washed  the  border  of  Israel, 
Numb,  xxxiv,  5;  Moses  speak- 
ing of  the  south  border  of  Israel 
says,  "it  shall  fetch  a  compass 
from  Azmon  unto  the  river  of 
Egypt,  and  its  goings  out  shall 
be  at  the  sea."  Accordingly 
we  read  Joshua  xv,  4;  that  the 
south  coast  passed  toward  Az- 
mon and  went  out  unto  the 
river  of  Egypt,  and  the  goings 
19 


out  of  that  coast  were  at  the 
sea."  From  both  these  places 
it  is  evident,  that  the  river  of 
Egypt  was  certainly  a  part  of 
the  south  boundary  of  Canaan. 
But  every  one  knows  that  the 
country  divided  among  the 
twelve  tribes  never  reached 
the  Nile,  never  included  any 
part  of  Egypt.  It  follows  that 
the  river  of  Egypt  is  not  the 
Nile,  and  was  also  a  smaller 
stream.  Accordingly  not  far 
from  Rhinocorura,  on  the  south 
border  of  Israel  we  find  such  a 
water.  The  learned  Bonfreri- 
us,  in  his  map  of  the  Holy 
Land,  calls  this  stream  th^  tor- 
rent or  river  of  Egypt.  See 
Si/io  r. 

EKRON,  a  city  and  govern- 
ment of  the  Philistines.  It  fell 
by  tot  to  the  tribe  of  Judah,  in 
the  first  division  made  by  Josh- 
ua, xv,  45;  but  afterwards  it 
was  given  to  the  tribe  of  Dan, 
id.  xix,  43.  It  was  situated 
very  near  the  Mediterranean, be- 
tween Ashdod  and  Jamnia.  Ek- 
ron  was  a  powerful  city  and  it 
does  not  appear  by  history,  that 
the  Jews  were  ever  sole  pos- 
sessors of  it.  The  idol  Baal- 
zebub  was  principally  adored 
at  Ekron',  2  Kings  i,  2,  &c.  All 
vestiges  of  this  once  powerful 
city  have  been  extinct  for 
many  centuries.  Zephaniah 
prophesied  that  "Ekron  should 
be    rooted   up,"    chap,    ii,  4. 


ELA 


ELA 


Baal- zeb  ab,  the  Aleim  of  the 
Philistines,  was  worshipped  at 
Ekron,  2  Kings  i,  2,  3;  vi,  16. 
It  seems  that  he  was  their  Escu- 
lapius,  or  god  of  medicine. 
The  Septuagint  translate  the 
word  Baal,  the  fly.  Nothing 
is  so  mean  and  miserable  as 
not  to  have  been  an  object  of 
idolatry.  The  worship  of  ser- 
pents has  been  extensive.  The 
Hottentots  at  this  day,  like  the 
Ekronites,  adore  an  insect,  or 
fly,  as  a  benign  deity.  This 
fly  is  as  large  as  the  little  fin- 
ger of  a  child.  The  back  is 
green,  the  belly  speckled  with 
white*and  red.  It  has  too 
wings  and  two  horns.  To  this 
winged  deity  they  render  the 
highest  tokens  of  veneration. 
When  it  honors  a  village  with 
its  visit,  the  people  collect  to- 
gether in  transports  of  devo- 
tion, singing  and  dancing  while 
itjtarries.  As  a  thank  offering, 
they  kill  two  fat  sheep,  nor  can 
you  make  a  Hottentot  believe, 
that  this  insect  does  not  bring 
favor  and  prosperity  to  the  in- 
habitants. 

ELAH,  the  name  of  the  val- 
ley, where  the  Israelites  were 
encamped,  when  David  fought 
Goliah,  who  was  12  feet  8 
inches  in  height,  and/vvhose  coat 
of  mail  weighed  189  pounds 
Troy.  This  vale  lay  on  the 
road  from  Eleutheropolis,  to  Je- 
rusalem. 


ELAM.     See   Persia    and 
Elath. 

ELATH,'orELOTH,or£/a- 
mz,  FJas,  Elan  and  Eton,   also 
Ailath,  a  port  of  Idumea,  situa- 
ted upon  the  Red  sea,  called  by 
all  these  names,  and  which  Da- 
vid 'in  his  conquest   of  Edom 
took;  2  Samuel  viii,    14,    and 
there  established  a  trade  to  all 
parts  of  the  world.     His  son, 
built  ships  in  Elath,  and  sent 
them   from    thence    to  Ophir 
for  gold,  2  Chron.  viii,  17, 18. 
It  continued  in  the  possession 
of  the  Israelites,  about  an  hun- 
dred and  fifty  years,  till  in  the 
time  of  Joram,  the  Edomites 
recovered  it,  2  Kings  viii,  20; 
but   it  was  again  taken  from 
them  by  Azariah,  and  by  him 
left  to  his  son,  2    Kings    xiv, 
22.    His  grandson  Ahaz,  how- 
ever,   lost  it   again,   it    being 
taken  by  the  king  of  Syria,  id. 
xvi,  6;  the  Syrians  had  it  in  their 
hands   a  long   while,  till  after 
many  changes  under  the  Ptole- 
mais,  it  came  into  the  posses- 
sion   of  the   Romans.     Elath 
was  a  commodious  haven,  ad- 
joining the   south-east  part  of 
Edom.     It  was  for  a  long  time 
a  station  for  the  shipping,  em- 
ployed in  the  India  trade.      It 
is   near  the    road,    which  the 
Egyptians  travel  in   their  pil- 
grimages to  Mecca.     Remains 
of  this  city  were  visible  in  the 
14th  century.     It  was  former- 


ELB 


ELE 


ly  a  great  mart  for  the  Tyrians. 
Topographical  Dictionary. 

Eloth  was  157  miles  from 
Gaza;  it  lay  on  the  extreme 
part  of  Palestine,  according  to 
Jerome,  but  he  should  have 
•said  of  Edom.  Formerly  it 
was  the  residence  of  a  bishop. 
At  present  nothing  remains  of 
this  commercial  city,  but  an 
ancient  tower.  Formerly  here 
was  a  fort,  and  had  fruitful  fields 
in  the  vicinity;  but  fort  and 
fields,  and  city  are  gone.  Lat. 
29  N. 

ELE ALEH,  a  town  belong- 
ing to  the  tribe  of  Reuben, 
Numb,  xxxii,  37.  Eusebius 
places  it  at  the  distance  of  a 
mile  from  Heshbon.  This  town 
and  Heshbon  were  taken  by 
the  Moabites,  and  while  in 
their  possession  they  were  ter- 
ribly ravaged  by  the  Assyrians 
and  Chaldeans,  Num.  xxxii; 
Isaiah  xv,  and  Jer.  xlviii.  Lat. 
31,  43. 

ELE  AS  A,  the  name  of  a 
place  in  the  tribe  of  Benjamin, 
where  there  was  a  battle  fought 
between  Judas  Maccabeus  on 
the  one  side,  and  Bacchides 
and  Alamas,  the  high  priest  of 
the  Jews,  on  the  other. 

EL-BETHEL  and  El-e- 
lohe  IsRAEL,|thenameoft\vo 
altars,  built  by  Jacob  after  his  re- 
turn to  Canaan.  The  first  signi- 
fies that  God  was  still  the  God 
of  Bethel  to  him  in  performing 


the  promises  there  made.  The 
second  implies  that  the  mighty 
God   was   still   the   object   of 
worship  to  him    and   his   off- 
spring. Gen.  xxxiii  and  xxxv. 
ELEPH,  a  town  of  Pales- 
tine in  the  tribe  of  Benjamin. 
ELEUTHEROPOLIS,  a 
city  of  Judea,  and  though  not 
mentioned  in  the  Bible,  it  is 
proper  to  be  inserted  in  this 
work,  because  on  account  of 
itsjimportance  in  the  time  of  Eu- 
sebius and  Jerome,  they  made 
this  city  the  point  whence  they 
estimated  the  distances  of  oth- 
er towns,and  having  often  quot- 
ed them  in  this  particular,  this 
place  would  naturally  be  look- 
ed for  by  every  careful  reader. 
But  a  difficulty  still  remains, 
to  fix  the  exact  position  of  this 
place.     Enough,  however,   is 
known  to  answer  the  most  ne- 
cessary purpose,and  from  which 
we  may  very  nearly  infer  the 
situation  of  other  places,  men- 
tioned in  connexion  with  this. 
Josephus  says,  this  town  was 
twenty  miles  from  Jerusalem; 
another  writer  says,  that  it  was 
twenty-four  miles  from  Ashke- 
lon,  and  eighteen  from  Lydda. 
Eusebius   says,  that   it  was 
five  miles  fromGath,  six  from 
Lachish,  twenty -five  from  Ge- 
rar,    twenty   from    Jattir,    and 
eight  from  Keilah.     It  was  in 
the  tribe  of  Judah,  toward  the 
region  of  the  Philistines,  and 


ELI 


ELI 


was  not  built,  till  after  the  des- 
truction of  Jerusalem. 

ELEUTHERUS,ariverin 
Syria,  the  source  of  which  lies 
between  Libanus  and  Anti-Li- 
banus,  1  Mace,  xi,  7.  After  it 
has  watered  the  valley,  situated 
between  these  two  mountains, 
it  discharges  itself  into  the 
Mediterranean.  (See  Maun- 
drel.J 

ELICIANS,  Judith  chap,  i, 
mentions  Arioch,  king  of  the 
Elicians;  the  Greek  and  Syriac 
read  of  the  Elymeans,  that  is, 
the  ancient  country  of  the  Per- 
sians. In  Genesis  we  read  of 
Arioch,  king  of  Ellasar;  this 
might  be  the  city  of  the  Eli- 
cians. 

ELIM,  the  seventh  encamp- 
ment of  the  Israelites  in  the 
wilderness,  where  they  found 
twelve  fountains  and  seventy. 
palm  trees,  Ex.  xv,  27.  From 
Elim  they  went  to  the  wilder- 
ness of  Sin.  Elim  lies  in  the 
north  skirt  of  the  desert,  two 
leagues  from  Tor,  where  are 
now  nine  wells,  and  two  thou- 
sand palm  trees.     (Shaw.) 

The  place  where  Israel  en- 
camped seems  to  have  been 
fruitful  and  pleasant  to  them, 
compared  with  the  desert  re- 
gion around.    Lat.  29,  15. 

Dr.  Shaw  says,  we  have  a 
distinct  view  of  mount  Sinai 
from  Elim,  the  wilderness  of 
Sin  Iving  between  them.   We 


were  twelve  hours  in  travelling 
to  the  desert  of  Sinai,  which 
consists  of  a  beautiful  plain 
three  miles  wide  and  nine  long, 
closed  to  the  south  by  some  of 
the  lower  eminences  of  Sinai. 
In  this  direction  some  of  the 
higher  branches  of  the  moun- 
tain make  such  encroachments 
on  the  plain,  that  they  divide 
it  into  two,  each  of  them  spa- 
cious enough  to  have  holden 
the  camp  of  Israel.  That  to 
the  east  may  be  the  desert  of 
Sinai,  where  Moses  saw  the 
burning  bush.  The  convent 
of  St.  Catherine  is  built  over 
the  place  of  that  Divine  appear- 
ance. The  building  is  nearly 
three  hundred  feet  square,  and 
more  than  forty  high,  built 
of  stone  with  mortar.  The 
fraternity  of  Basil  do  not  enter 
the  chapel,  till  they  have  pull- 
ed off  their  shoes. 

ELISHA,  Fountain  of,  is  a 
fountain  which  sends  a  stream 
through  the  plain  of  Jericho, 
passing  south  of  Gilgal,  and 
dividing  into  several  branches, 
falls  into  the  Jordan.  This  is 
the  spring  sweetened  by  Eli- 
sha. 

ELISHAH,  Isles  of,  Jose- 
phus  says,  iEolia,  or  at  least 
the  Ionian  or  iEolian  islands, 
w  ere  named  from  Elishah,  who 
was  the  son  of  Javan.  These 
islanders  traded  with  Tyre  in 
purple,  a  great   many  of  the 


ELT 


EMM 


purple  fish  being  caught  near 
the  mouth  of  the  river  Eurotas. 
Concerning  Tyre  Ezekiel  says, 
"Blue  and  purple  from  the 
isles  of  Elishah  was  that  which 
covered  thee."  The  Tyrians 
wore  clothing  imported  from 
those  islands.  It  seems  that 
purple  must  have  been  a  fash- 
ionable color,  for  Tyre  herself 
was  in  possession  of  a  famous 
purple  dye,  which  was  prover- 
bial for  its  beauty;  yet  she  im- 
ported purple  clothes  of  Eli- 
shah. Ancient  writers  frequently 
speak  of  the  purple  of  Laconia. 

ELKOTH,  a  village  in  Gal- 
ilee, noted  for  the  birth  of  the 
prophet  Nahum. 

ELLASAR,  a  country  of 
Asia  of  which  Arioch  was  king, 
as  related  Gen.  xiv,  1.  Dr. 
Wells  supposes,  that  this  was 
a  kingdom  of  Arabia,  whose 
inhabitants  are  by  Ptolemy 
called  Elisari.  Bonfrerius 
thinks  it  uncertain  whether 
Ellasar  was  a  city  or  country. 
It  is  also  uncertain  whether  it 
be  not  the  same  with  Ellas,  in 
Ccelo-Syria,  or  Thelasar  in 
Mesopotamia. 

ELON,  a  city  in  the  tribe 
of  Dan.     Lat.  31,  41. 

El  on,  a  eity  in  the  tribe  of 
Naphtali.     Lat.  33,  8. 

ELTEKAK,  or  Eltekeh, 
a  city  in  the  tribe  of  Dan,  giv- 
en to  the  Levites  of  Koath's 
family.     Lat.  32,  47. 

ELTEKON,  a  town  in  the 


tribe  of  Judah,  upon  the  con- 
fines of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin. 

ELTOLAD,  a  town  in  the 
tribe  of  Judah,  which  was  af- 
terwards given  to  the  tribe  of 
Simeon. 

ELYMAIS,  a  city  and  cap- 
ital of  Elam,  or  the  ancient 
country  of  the  Persians.  1 
Mace,  vi,  1,  informs  us  that 
Antiochus  Epiphanes,  under- 
standing there  were  very  great 
treasures  in  a  temple  of  Ely- 
mais,  determined  to  plunder  it, 
but  the  citizens  resisted  him, 
and  obliged  him  to  fly.  Lat. 
30,25. 

EMESA,  a  town  on  the 
river  Orontes,  eighteen  miles 
from  Laodicea,  and  not  far  from 
the  Lebanon.     See  Hamath. 

EMIMS,  the  ancient  inhab- 
itants of  the  land  of  Canaan, 
to  the  east  and  northeast  of  the 
Dead  Sea.  They  probably 
descended  from  Ham;  they 
were  a  numerous,  gigantic,  and 
warlike  race  of  men.  Chedor- 
laomer  defeated  them  at  Sha- 
ven Kiriathaim,  Gen.  xiv,  Josh, 
xiii.  Anah,  the  Hivite,  also, 
attacked  a  body  of  them  and 
vanquished  them,  seized  their 
country,  and  united  with  those 
who  survived  the  slaughter. 
Deut.  ii,  10. 

EMMAUS,  a  village  sixty 
furlongs,  or  seven  miles  and  a 
half  from  Jerusalem,  on  the 
north  side,  celebrated  for  what 
happened  to  CleOpas  and  an- 


ENA 


other  disciple,  Luke  xxiv,  13, 
who  were  going  thither  upon 
the  day  of  our  Savior's  resur- 
rection. A  church  has  been 
built  here,  on  the  spot  where 
the  house  of  Cleopas  stood. 
The  Romans  planted  a  colony 
here,  and  Vespasian  left  eight 
hundred  soldiers  in  Judea,  and 
gave  them  the  village  of  Em- 
maus.  In  this  Emmaus  were 
hot  springs,  and  the  inhabitants 
had  a  tradition,  that  Jesus 
Christ  washed  his  feet  in  these 
waters,  and  communicated  to 
them  a  healing  power.  Such 
was  the  malice  of  Julian,  the 
apostate,  toward  Jesus,  that  he 
ordered  these  springs  to  be 
stopped  up. 

Emmaus,  a  town  nearLyd- 
da,  22  miles  north-west  from 
Jerusalem,  in  later  times  called 
Nicopoiis. 

Emmaus,  a  town  near  Ti- 
berius. All  these  places  re- 
ceived their  names  from  their 
hot  baths. 

ENAIM,  a  town  of  Pales- 
tine in  the  tribe  of  Judah.  The 
word  Enaim  is  supposed  to 
signify  the  wells,  a  probable 
place  to  meet  company,  in 
those  countries  where  water  is 
rare,  and  therefore,  here  Ta- 
mar  sat,  Gen.  xxxviii,  14. 
Others  suppose  not  a  town  or 
well,  but  the  dividing  of  two 
ways  is  denoted;  an  open  place 
it  is  translated  in  our  bibles. 
ENABRIS,   a    place    be- 


tween  ScythopOlisandTiberias. 

ENAM,  a  city  in  the  tribe  of 

Judah,  Josh.  xv,34.  Lat.  31,27. 

END  OR,  a  city  in  the  tribe  of 
Manasseh,  Josh,  xvii,  11,  where 
the  witch  lived,  whom  Saul 
consulted,  a  little  before  the 
battle  of  Gilboa,  1  Sam.  xxviii, 
13.  This  was  an  ancient  and 
considerable  town,  belonging 
to  the  half  tribe  of  Manasseh, 
on  the  west  side  of  Jordan.  It 
was  four  miles  south  from 
mount  Tabor.  Eusebius  says 
that  it  was  a  large  town  in  his 
day.     Lat.  32,21. 

EN-EGLAIM,  the  fountain 
of  calves,  Ezekiel  xlvii,  10; 
speaks  of  this  place  in  opposi- 
tion to  Engedi.  "The  fishers 
'  shall  stand  upon  it,  from  Enge- 
di even  unto  En-eglaim,  they 
shall  be  a  place  to  spread  forth 
nets."  St.  Jerome  says,  that 
En-eglaim  is  situated  on  the 
Dead  Sea,  where  the 'river  Jor- 
dan runs  into  it.  The  word 
En  so  often  perfixed  to  the 
names  of  places,  signifies  a  well; 
these  were  doubtless  so  called 
on  account  of  their  wells.  The 
passage  of  Ezekiel  above  quo- 
ted may  signify,  Ministers  la- 
boring in  the  go  pel  from  one 
end  of  the  world  to  the  other, 
says  a  pious  writer.  May  it  not 
more  literally  refer  to  the  "heal- 
ing" of  the  waters  in  the  Dead 
Sea,  which  now  are  so  malig- 
nant that  no  fish  can  live  in 
them;  but  in  the   millennium* 


ENG 


KNG 


they  wUl  become  pure,  and  be 
stored  with  libh,  so  that  the 
whole  sea  from  shore  to  shore, 
shall  be  covered  with  the  boats 
of  fishermen,  Engedi  being  on 
one  side,  and  En-eglaim  on  the 
opposite  shore. 

EN-GANNIM,  the  name 
of  two  cities,  one  in  the  plain, 
belonging  to  the  tribe  of  Judah, 
Josh,  xv,  34;  the  other  in  the 
tribe  of  Issachar,  id.  xix,  21. 
It  was  given  to  the  Levites  of 
Gershom's  family. 

ENGEDI,  otherwise  Haz- 
azon  Tamar,  that  is  to  say 
the  palm  tree  city,  2  Chr.  xx, 
2;  because  there  was  a  great 
number  of  palm  trees,  in  its 
territory.  It  abounded  with 
Cyprus  vines,  and  trees,  which 
bore  balm.  Solomon  in  his 
song  i,  14;  speaks  of  the  vine- 
yards of  Engedi.  This  city, 
according  to  Josephus,  stood 
near  the  lake  of  Sodom,  thirty- 
seven  miles  and  a  half  from  Je- 
rusalem, not  far  from  Jeri- 
cho; and  the  mouth  of  the  river 
Jordan.  Engedi  in  the  He- 
brew, means  the  kids.  This 
city  lay  in  the  tribe  of  Judah, 
and  was  remarkable  for  produc- 
ing camphire,  and  balm  of  Gil- 
ead.  In  the  time  of  Jerome  it 
was  a  very  great  village.  This 
was  an  ancient  city,  possessed 
by  the  Amorites,  here  the  arm- 
ies of  Amnion  and  Moab  en- 
camped, as  theymarched  against 
Jehosophat;  2  Chron.    xx,    2. 


At  Engedi  was  a  remarkable 
cave,  so  large,  that  it  afforded 
shelter  for  David  and  six  hun- 
dred men,  and  yet  there  was  so 
much  room  left,  that  Saul  en- 
tered and  retired  without  per- 
ceiving that  any  one  was  there. 
Indeed  the  whole  country  of 
Judea,  being  mountainous  and 
rocky,  has  numerous  caverns 
in  different  parts.  Josephus 
tells  us  of  a  numerous  gang  of 
banditti,  who  having  infested 
the  country,  and  being  pursu- 
ed by  the  army  of  Herod,  retir- 
ed into  certain  caverns,  almost 
inaccessible,  near  Arbela  in 
Galilee,  where,  with  great  diffi- 
culty they  were  subdued. 
Some  of  these  caverns  were 
natural;  but  others  were  artifi- 
cial, cut  in  the  solid  rock.  Be- 
yond Damascus, say  s  Strabo,  are 
two  mountains  called  Trachon- 
es,  from  which  the  country 
has  the  name  of  Trachon- 
ites,  and  from  hence  towards 
Arabia,  and  Iturea,  are  certain 
rugged  mountains  in  which 
are  deep  caverns,  one  of  which 
will  hold  four  thousand  men. 
Tavernier  speaks  of  a  grot,  be- 
tween Aleppo  and  Bir,  that 
would  hold  nearly  three  thous- 
and horse.  Three  hours  dis- 
tant from  Sidon,  about  a  mile 
from  the  sea,  rises  a  high  rocky 
mountain,  in  the  sides  of  which 
are  hewn  a  multitude  of  grots, 
all  very  little  differing  from  each 
other.      Thee  have   entrances 


ENH 


ENO 


-about  two  feet  square;  on  the 
inside  you  find  in  most,  or  all 
of  them  a  room  of  about  four 
yards  square.  There  are  two 
hundred  of  these  subterraneous 
rooms,  formed  probably  for  the 
dwellings  of  the  living,  not  the 
dead.  The  habitations  of  the 
Troylodytae  were  of  this  kind, in 
Upper  Egypt,  and  elsewhere. 
The  Hontes  of  mount  Seir  were, 
as  their  name  imports,  Troy- 
lody  tes.  Strabo  mentions  those, 
who  dwelt  on  each  side  of  the 
Red  Sea.  The  Koran  speaks 
of  the  Thamud,  a  tribe  of  Ara- 
bians, who  to  secure  them- 
selves, hewed  houses  out  of  the 
mountains.  Thus  on  account 
of  the  Midianites  the  children 
of  Israel  made  them  the  dens, 
which  are  in  the  mountains, 
and  caves,  and  strong  holds. 
Here  they  secured  themselves 
in  the  time  of  invasion,  Judges 
vi,  2.  See  also  1  Sam.  xiii,  6; 
and  Jer.  xli;  and  Hosea  x,  8. 
Lat.  31,  11.  Burdens  Oriental 
Customs. 

En c edi,  desert  of  a  forest 
near  the  city  of  the  same  name, 
in  which  probably  was  the  cave 
above  mentioned. 

ENHADDAH,  a  city  be- 
longing to  the  tribe  of  Issachar, 
Josh,  xix  21. 

ENHAKKORE,  the  well 
of  him  who  cried,  the  name  of 
the  well  which  was  miraculous- 
ly opened  to  allay  the  thirst  of 


Sampson  after  his  slaying  the 
thousand  Philistines,  with  the 
jaw  bone  of  an  ass.  Our  Eng- 
lish bibles  imply,  that  the  well 
was  opened  in  the  bone;  but  the 
word  Lehi  signifies  the  place 
where  he  was,  as  well  as  a  jaw 
bone,  therefore,  it  is  more  nat- 
ural to  suppose,  that  a  spring 
gushed  from  the  ground  where 
he  was,  than  from  the  bone,  es- 
pecially as  the  name  of  the  well 
or  fountain  continued  in  subse- 
quent ages. 

ENHAZOR,  a  city  of  Naph- 
tali.     Josh,  xix,  37. 

ENMISPHAT,  Moses  says, 
Gen.  xiv,  7;  that  the  kings 
Chedorlaomer,  Amraphel,  and 
the  rest,  having  traversed  the 
wilderness  of  Paran,  came  to 
Enmisphat,  or  the  fountain  of 
Mishpat,  otherwise  called  Ka- 
desh.  See  Kadesh.  Mishpat 
signifies  judgment,  the  place 
was  not  so  called,  till  Moses 
drew  from  it  the  waters  of 
strife,  and  the  anger  of  God  fell 
on  Moses  and  Aaron. 

ENOCH,  the  first  city  of 
which  we  read  in  scripture, 
probably  not  far  east  from 
Eden;  but  its  situation  is  not 
known.  Ptolemy,  in  describ- 
ing Susiana,  mentions  a  city, 
which  without  its  suffix  was 
called  Anuch,  or  Anoch;  but 
whether  it  be  the  same  men- 
tioned by  Moses  is  uncertain. 

ENON,  the  place  when  John 


EPII 


EPH 


the  Baptist  baptized,  "because 
there  were  many  waters 
there,"  John  iii,  23.  It  was 
situated  between  Salim  and 
Jordan,  in  the  halt"  tribe  of 
Munasseh.  Enon,  saith  Dr. 
Wells,  signifies  "a  place,  of 
springs  "  It  was  eight  miles 
from  Scythopolis,  and  fifty- 
three  north- cast  from  Jerusa- 
lem.    Lat.  32,  14. 

ENROGEL,  another  name 
for  the  fountain  of  Siloam,  on 
the  east  of  Jerusalem,  at  the 
foot  of  mount  Zion.  It  was  on 
the  line  between  the  two  tribes 
of  Judah  and  Benjamin,  and  in 
the  king's  garden.  Here  Ahim- 
aaz  and  Jonathan  concealed 
themselves  to  gain  information 
respecting  the  plot  of  Absalom. 

ENSHEMESH,  fountain  of 
the  sun,  on  the  frontiers  of  Ju- 
dah and  Benjamin.  Whether 
this  was  the  name  of  a  town,  or 
spring  of  water,  is  uncertain. 
The  Arabians  give. this  name 
to  the  ancient  metropolis  of 
Egypt;  which  the  Hebrews  call 
On,  and  the  Greeks,  Heliopolis. 
EPHESUS,  a  celebrated 
city  of  Ionia,  in  Asia  Minor, 
situated  upon  the  river  Cayster. 
Among  heathen  authors,  this 
city  was  much  noted  for  its 
famous  temple  of  Diana,  which 
foi  its  extent  and  workmanship, 
was  accounted  one  of  the  sev- 
en wonders  of  the  world.  It  is 
said  to  have  been  425  feet  long, 
20 


220  broad,  and  to  have  been 
supported  by  127  pillars  of 
marble,  70  feet  high,  of  which 
27  were  most  curiously 
wrought,  and  all  the  rest  pol- 
ished. The  famous  architect 
who  contrived  the  model  em- 
ployed so  much  art  and  curios- 
ity, that  it  took  up  two  hun- 
dred years,  or  as  some  histories 
say  400  years,  before  it  was 
finished,  though  it  was  built 
at  the  common  expense  of  all 
Asia  proper.  The  first  time 
Si.  Paul  came  to  Ephesus  was 
in  the  year  of  Christ  54;  he 
stayed  a  few  days,  and  went  to 
Jerusalem,  Acts  xviii.  Seme 
months  after  he  returned  and 
continued  there  three  years; 
but  was  obliged  to  leave  the 
city,  id.  xix,  24;  upon  a  sedi- 
tion which  was  raised  by  De- 
metrius, a  silversmith,  whose 
trade  consisted,  chiefly,  in  mak- 
ing li!.tle  silver  temples,  or  rep- 
resentations of  Diana. 

Here  St.  Paul  wrote  his 
first  epistle  to  the  Corinthians. 
Ephesus,  above  all  other  places 
in  the  world,  was  noted  of  old 
for  the  study  of  Magic,  and  all 
secret  and  hidden  arts,  inso- 
much that  the  Ephesian  letters, 
so  often  spoken  of  by  the  an- 
cients, which  were  certain  ob- 
scure my  sticalspells  or  charms, 
by  which  they  endeavored  to 
heal  diseases,  and  drive  awav 
evil  spirits,  seem  to  have  been 


EPH 


EPH 


first  invented  in  this  city.  Cer- 
tain Jews  who  took  upon  them 
to  exorcise  persons,  possessed 
with  a  devil,  for  which  they 
were  to  have  money,  having 
one  day  performed  this  office, 
in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  the 
possessed  fell  on  them,  tore  off 
their  clothes,  wounded  them, 
and  scarce  suffered  them  to 
escape  alive.  This  accident 
frightened  the  inhabitants,  Jews 
and  Gentiles;  and  several  per- 
sons addicted  to  mystical  arts, 
publicly  burnt  their  books  re- 
lating to  such  subjects,  the 
value  of  which  amounted  to 
about  7,000  dollars,  or  accord- 
ing to  other  calculations,  to 
27,777.     Acts  xix,  14. 

The  apostle  in  the  last  jour- 
ney, which  he  made  to  Rome, 
took  Ephesus  again  in  his  way, 
and  while  he  was  a  prisoner  at 
Rome,  being  informed  that  the 
Christians  at  Ephesus  stood 
firm  in  the  faith,  he  wrote  an 
epistle  to  them,  which,  Mr. 
Locke  observes,  is  not  written 
in  the  formal  way  of  reasoning 
and  argumentation,  but  is  all, 
as  it  were,  in  a  rapture,  in  a 
style,  far  above  the  plain  di- 
dactic method. 

Aquila  and  Priscilla,  with 
whom  St.  Paul  lodged  at  Cor- 
inth came  thence  with  him  to 
Ephesus,  and  made  some  stay 
there,  Acts  xviii,  2,  3;  8.  A- 
pollos,    likewise,    came     and 


preached  there;  and  the  apostle 
St.  John,  passed  a  great  part  of 
his  life  at  Ephesus,  and  died 
there,  when  Timothy,  was 
made  first  bishop  of  Ephesus 
by  the  apostle,  who  laid  his 
hands  on  him. 

Of  this  famous  city  nothing 
but   ruins   now    remain.      Of 
the  temple  of  Diana  nothing  is 
to  be  seen,  but  a  few  broken 
pillars.     The  lofty  church  of 
St.  John    is    converted     to  a 
Mahometan  mosque.    Its  larg- 
est pillar  is  twelve  feet  in  cir- 
cuit; this  church  yet  lifts  up 
its  head  in  mournful  dignity 
over  surrounding  cottages  and 
ruins.    In  every  walk  the  trav- 
eller stumbles  over  broken  col- 
umns, subverted  temples  and 
palaces.    The  whole  town  con- 
tains only  40  or  50  families  of 
Turks,  who  are  herdsmen  and 
farmers,  living  in  low  cottages 
of  dirt,  covered  on  the  top  with 
earth,  and  sheltered  from  the 
extremity  of  the  weather   by 
mighty  masses  of  ruinous  walls, 
the   pride   and   ostentation   of 
former  days,  and  in  these,  the 
emblems    of   the   frailty   and 
transient     vanity    of     human 
glory.    This  handful  of  miser- 
able outcasts  is  all  which  re- 
mains of  the  immense  popula- 
tion of  Ephesus.     Here  is  not 
a  single  Christian  family  to  in- 
voke the  name  of  Jesus.     So 
dreadful  an  evil  it  is  for  pro- 


EPH 


EPI1 


lessors  "to  forsake  their  first 
love,  and  not  to  remember 
whence  they  have  fallen,  and 
repent."  Literally  has  Christ 
fulfilled  his  threatening,  against 
this  churcfi,  "Thy  candlestick 
shall  be  removed  out  of  his 
place,"  Rev.  ii.  The  descrip- 
tion of  an* eye  witness  must  be 
interesting.  Dr.  Chandler  says, 
The  inhabitants  are  a  few 
Greek  peasants,  living  in  ex- 
treme wretchedness,  depend- 
ance,  and  insensibility;  the  re- 
presentatives of  an  illustrious 
people,  inhabiting  the  wreck  of 
their  greatness,  under  the  walls 
of  the  glorious  edifices  which 
they  raised,  and  some  beneath 
the  vaults  of  the  stadium, 
once  the  crowded  scene  of 
their  diversions,  and  some 
by  the  abrupt  precipice,  in 
the  sepulchres  which  received 
their  ashes.  Its  streets  are  ob- 
scured and  overgrown.  A  herd 
of  goats  was  driven  to  it  for 
shelter  from  the  sun  at  noon, 
and  a  noisy  flight  of  crows 
from  the  quarries  seemed  to 
insult  its  silence.  We  heard 
the  patridge  call  in  the  area  of 
the  theatre.  The  glorious  pomp 
of  its  heathen  worship  is  no 
longer  remembered,  and  Chris- 
tianity, which  was  here  nursed 
by  apostles,  and  fostered  by 
general  councils,  until  it  in- 
creased to  fulness  of  stature, 
barely  lingers  on,  in  an  exist- 


ance  hardly  visible.  This  city 
was  celebrated  for  the  worship 
of  Diana,  her  image*  supposed 
by  them  to  have  fallen  down 
from  heaven,  was  small  and  of 
wood,  but  very  gorgeously  at- 
tired, each  hand  was  supported 
by  a  bar  of  gold,  and  a  veil 
from  the  ceiling  concealed  it, 
except  when  the  service  re- 
quired it  should  be  visible. 
So  sacred  was  this  temple,  that 
the  immense  treasures  were 
secure  for  many  ages.  But  we 
now  seek  in  vain  for  the  tem- 
ple itself;  the  city  is  prostrate, 
and  the  goddess  is  gone.  Eph- 
esus  had  a  good  harbor,  on  a 
gulf  of  the  same  name,  40 
miles  south  from  Smyrna, 
long.  27,  58  E.  lat.  37,  48  N. 
Ricaut,  Arewtont  Thevenot^ 
Wells. 

EPHESDAMMIM,  a  place 
between  Shochoh  and  Azekah, 
on  the  west  of  the  valley  of 
Elah.  Here  the  army  of  Philis- 
tia  was  encamped,  when  Goliah 
insulted  the  host  of  Israel. 
Here  they  were  found  again 
after  the  coronation  of  David, 
and  suffered  a  great  slaughter. 

EPHRALM  lay  on  the'south 
side  of  Samaria,  extending  from 
the  Mediterranean  to  the  Jor- 
dan, bounded  south  by  Benja- 
min and  a  small  part  of  Dan. 
The  country  in  general  is 
rocky  and  mountainous,  but 
the  low  lands  arc  remarkablv 


EPH 


EPI 


rich  and  fruitful.  Joshua  be- 
longed to  this  tribe,  as  did 
Deborah,  and  several  other  em- 
inent persons.  The  territory 
was  small  for  this  populous 
tribe;  but  when  they  requested 
more  from  Joshua,  he  only  en- 
couraged them  to  complete 
the  expulsion  of  the  Canaan- 
ites.  When  the  census  was 
taken,  as  this  tribe  left  Egypt, 
the  warriors  were  40,500;  but 
in  the  wilderness  they  were  re- 
duced to  32,500.  The  united 
population  of  Ephraim  and 
Manasseh,  the  sons  of  Joseph, 
amounted  to  72,700  men,  when 
they  came  from  Egypt.  So  was 
verified  the  promised  fruitful- 
ness  of  Joseph.  For  about  320 
years  the  tabernacle  was  con- 
tinued at  Shiloh,  which  was  in 
this  tribe.  When  the  ark  was 
taken  by  the  Philistines,  the 
soldiers  of  Ephraim  acted  in  a 
cowardly  manner.  At  the  cor- 
onation of  David  20,800  troops 
from  this  tribe  were  present. 
Jeroboatfs  was  of  this  tribe,  and 
decoyed  his  !  irethrerj  and  nine 
other  tribes  to  revolt  from  Ju- 
dah  and  Benjamin,  This  sep- 
arate government  continued 
254  years.  As  this  was  the 
leading  tribe,  most  or  all  tlte 
kings  being  from  Ephraim,  all 
the  tribes  were  sometimes  de- 
nominated Ephraim. 

Ephraim,    a    city    in    the 
tribe  of  Ephraim,  towards  Jor* 


dan,  thought  by  some  to  have 
been  the  place  where  Jesus  re- 
tired with  his  disciples,  a  short 
time  before  his  passion,  John 
xi,  54.  The  wood  or  forest 
of  Ephraim,  in  which  Absa- 
lom's army  was  routed,  and 
himself  killed  and  buried,  2 
Sam.  xviii,  6,  &c.  v#as  situate 
east  from  Jordan;  .  so  named 
perhaps  from  lying  on  the  river 
opposite  to  the  tribe  of  Eph- 
raim. 

Ephraim,  a  city  of  Pales- 
tine in  the  tribe  of  Benjamin, 
eight  miles  from  Jerusalem, 
and  according  to  Eusebius 
near  to  Beth  I. 

EPHRAH,  a  city  of  Eph- 
raim, and  the  birth  place  of 
Gideon.  Its  exact  situation  is 
not  known;  but  it  is  thought 
to  be  the  same  as  Ophrah. 
Lat.  32,29. 

EPH  RAT  AH,  a  word 
which  we  meet  with  in  Psalm 
exxii,  6,  to  denote  the  lot  of 
Ephraim.  Ephratah  is  also 
used  for  the  town  of  Bethle- 
hem, Micah  v,  2.  See  Bethle- 
hem. 

EPHRON,  the  name  of  a 
city  situated  beyond  Jordan, 
which  Judas  Maccabeus  took 
and  sacked  at  his  return  from 
an  expedition  against  Timo- 
theus,  genera]  of  the  Syrians, 
1  Mace,  v,  46,  &c. 

EPIPHANIA,  a  city  of 
Syria,   and    probably    another 


ESII 


ETA 


name  for  Hamath.  It  stood  on 
the  Orontcs,  between  Antioch 
and  Apamea. 

EPIRUS,  a  province  of 
Greece,  on  the  coast  of  the 
Ionian  sea,  having  Albania 
north,  Thessaly  south,  the  o- 
cean  west. 

ERECH,  a  city  of  Chaldea 
built  by  Nimrod,  Gen.  x,  10. 
It  probably  stood  on  the  east 
bank  of  the  Tigris,  below  its 
junction  with  the  Euphrates. 
Flom  this  city  probably  the 
Erectean  iields  had  their  name, 
which  abound,  with  Naptha, 
and  sometimes  take  fire.  This 
place  has  also  been  called  A- 
raka,  which  is  in  Susiana.  It 
has  also  been  supposed  to  be 
the  same  as  Edessa.  See  Hol- 
ben. 

EREMON,  a  large  village 
of  Judea,  sixteen  miles  from 
Eleutheropolis.  The  same, 
probably  as  Rimmon. 

ESDRAELON,  a  more 
modern  name  for  the  valley  of 
Jezreel,  in  the  tribe  of  Issa- 
char.  It  was  ten  miles  from 
Scythopolis. 

ESDRELA,  the  name  of  a 
village  on  the  above  plain,  to 
which  probably  it  gave  its 
name,  or  the  plain  of  Esdrela, 
as  it  is  sometimes  called. 

ESHCOL,  the  valley  of  or 
brook  of,  or  valley  of  grapes, 
a  fertile  vale  in  the  land  of 
Canaan,  and  south  part  of  Ju- 


dah.  Here  the  Hebrew  spies, 
while  surveying  the  country, 
cut  a  bunch  of  grapes  to  carry 
back  to  the  people,  as  a  speci- 
men of  the  delicious  fruit, 
which  they  might  soon  enjoy. 
The  bunch  of  grapes  was  as  large 
as  two  men  could  well  carry. 

ESHTAOL,  a  town  of  Pal- 
estirie,  which  the  tribe  of  Judah 
yielded  to  Dan.  Eusebius 
says,  this  place  was  ten  miles 
from  Eleutheropolis.   Lat.  31, 

ESHTEMOA,  a  city  of 
Judah,  given  to  the  Levites; 
it  is  uncertain  whether  it  be 
not  the  same  with  the  next 
article.     Joshua  xxi,  14. 

ESHTEMOTH,  a  city  in 
the  southern  part  of  Judah. 
Josh. xv, 50,  and  xxi, 14;  1  Sam. 
xxx,  18.  A  cession  was  made 
of  it  to  the  priests  to  be  an 
habitation  for  them.  1  Chron. 
vi,  58.  It  was  a  large  town  in 
the  region  of  Elemheropolis. 
Lat.  31,  10. 

%  ESSA,  a  town  of  Palestine 
on  the  east  of  the  Jordan. 

ETAM,  a  city  in  the  tribe 
of  Judah,  lying  between  Beth- 
lehem and  Tekoah.  2  Chron. 
xi,  G. 

The  rock  of  Etam  was  that 
to  which  Sampson  retired,  af- 
ter having  burned  the  harvest 
of  the  Philistines.  Judg.  xv,8. 
From  a  noted  spring,  near  this 
place,   which  was  perhaps  the 


ETH 


ETH 


fountain  of  gardens,  Pilate, 
and  probably  Solomon  long 
before,  brought  water  by  an 
aqueduct  into  the  city  of  Jeru- 
salem. 

ETHAM,  the  third  station 
of  the  Israelites  after  their 
coming  out  of  Egypt.  Etham 
must  have  lain  toward  the 
point  of  the  Red  Sea.  Num. 
xxxiii,  6;  Ex.  xiii,  20.  From 
Etham  the  Hebrews  went  to 
Pihahiroth.  The  wilderness 
on  both  sides  of  the  sea  was 
called  Etham.  Perhaps  it  is 
the  same  place,  which  has  since 
been  called  Butham  or  Bu- 
thus. 

ETHER,  a  place  in  Pales- 
tine,  twenty  miles  from  Eleu- 
theropolis,  in  the  south  of  Ju- 
dah,  first  allotted  to  Judah, 
and  afterwards  given  to  Sime- 
on; in  the  fourth  centurv  it 
was  a  large  village. 

ETHIOPIA,  properly  so 
called,  is  a  very  extensive  coun- 
try of  Africa,  comprehending 
Abyssinia,  Nubia,  and  Abex. 
It  is  bounded  by  Egypt  and 
the  dtsart  of  Barca  on  the 
north,  by  the  Red  Sea  and  In- 
dian ocean  on  the  east,  bv 
Anian  and  the  unknown  parts 
of  Africa  on  the  south,  and  by 
other  unknown  countries  on 
the  west.  There  is  frequent 
mention  in  scripture  of  Ethio- 
pia; but  it  must  be  observed, 
that  by  this  name,  we  are  not 


always  to  understand  Ethio- 
pia, properly  so  called.  Under 
the  article  Cush>  we  have  al- 
ready shown,  that  by  what  is 
generally  translated  Ethiopia, 
that  country  is  meant,  which 
lies  upon  the  eastern  coast  of 
the  Red  Sea,  and  at  that  point 
of  the  sea,  which  joins  to  E- 
gypt.  Zipporah  the  wife  of 
Moses,  who  was  of  Midian, 
upon  the  Red  Sea,  is  called  a 
Cushite  or  Ethiopian.  In 
short  there  are  three  countries 
called  Cush,  and  generally 
translated  Ethiopia.  1.  The 
land  of  Cush,  upon  the  river 
Gihon;  2.  Cush  upon  the  eas- 
tern shore  of  the  Red  Sea;  3. 
The  land  of  Cush,  situated 
above  Thebais  and  the  up- 
per Egypt;  and  for  want  of 
making  this  distinction  several 
writers  have  fallen  into  very 
considerable  errors. 

According  to  the  chronicle 
of  Axum,  the  truth  of  which 
is  next  to  that  of  the  sacred 
writings,  in  the  opinion  of  the 
Abyssinians,  this  country  was 
peopled  1808  years  before  the 
birth  of  Jesus  Christ.  Two 
hundred  years  after  its  settle- 
ment, it  was  so  destroyed  by 
a  flood,  that  it  was  called  Oure 
Midra,  or  ''a  country  laid 
waste,"  or  as  it  is  called  in 
scripture  itself,  "a  land  which 
the  waters  or  floods  had  spoil- 
ed."    Isa.  xviii,  2.     The  first 


ETH 


ETH 


inhabitants  are  supposed  to 
have  come  from  Palestine,  and 
in  the  opinion  of  some  learned 
men,  they  were  the  Canaan- 
ites,  who  fled  before  the  all 
conquering  banner  of  Israel. 
To  confirm  this  by  another 
circumstance,  Procopius  men- 
tions that  in  his  time  two  pil- 
lars were  known  in  Maurita- 
nia with  this  inscription  in  the 
Phenician  language.  "We  are 
Canaanites,  flying  from  the  face 
of  Joshua,  the  son  of  Nun,  the 
robber." 

Some  authors,however,  are  of 
opinion,  that  Ethiopia  received 
its  first  inhabitants  from  the 
country  lying  on  the  east  of  the 
RedSea.  According  to  them  the 
descendants  of  Cush,  having 
settled  in  Arabia,  gradually  mi- 
grated to  the  south-eastern  ex- 
tremity of  that  country;  thence 
they  readily  crossed  the  strait  of 
Babelmandel  into  Africa,  and 
entered  the  country,  called 
Ethiopia.  This  migration,  ac- 
cording to  Eusebius,  took  place 
during  the  residence  of  Israel 
in  Egypt;  but  according  to  oth- 
ers not  till  they  had  entered  Ca- 
naan, and  enjoyed  the  govern- 
ment of  the  Judges.  Mr.  Bruce 
mentions  a  tradition  yet  extant 
in  Abyssinia,  and  which  they 
say  has  existed  from  time  imme- 
morial, that  very  soon  after  the 
flood, Cush, the  grandson  of  No- 
ah, with  his  family,  passed  thro' 


Albara,  one  of  the  districts  of 
Abyssinia,  then  without  inhab- 
itants; and  travelled  till  they 
came  to  the  ridge  of  mountains, 
which  separates  that  district 
from  the  rest  of  Abyssinia. 
Being  still  terrified  with  the 
remembrance  of  the  flood,  and 
fearing  a  repetition  of  the  same 
calamity,  they  dared  not  to  set- 
tle in  the  level  plains;  but  as- 
cended the  mountains.  Here 
Cush  and  his  people,  with  un- 
describable  labor,  requiring 
arts  and  instruments  utterly  un- 
known to  us,  formed  them- 
selves commodious  and  won- 
derful habitations  in  the  heart  of 
the  mountains,  composed  of 
solid  granite  and  marble.  These 
dwellings  are  now  entire,  and 
will  remain  so,  till  the  consum- 
mation of  all  things.  Always 
avoiding  the  low  countries,  they 
advanced  along  the  different 
ridges  and  chains  of  mountains, 
across  the  whole  continent  of 
Africa.  According  to  this  tra- 
dition, they  built  the  city  of 
Axum,  about  the  time  of  Abra- 
ham. But  other  writers  sup- 
pose Ethiopia  was  conquered 
by  Moses,  who  afterwards  be- 
came the  Lawgiver  of  Israel. 
They  say  that  the  Ethiopians 
having  made  an  irruption,  and 
conquered  the  country,  as  far 
as  lower  Egypt,  that  the  ora- 
cles, while  the  kingdom  was 
trembling    for    its    existence, 


ETH 


EUF 


gave  advice  that  Moses  should 
be  placed  at  the   head   of  the 
armies.     While   the  Ethiopi- 
ans were  expecting  hi>n  to  as- 
cend the  banks   of  the   Nile, 
Moses  chose  a  remote  march, 
through    a     country    infested 
with  serpents,  and  to  preserve 
his    troops,    he  constructed  a 
number  of  baskets,  which  he 
filled    with   the   birds,    called 
Ibis,  celebrated  for    their  an- 
tipathy to  serpents.     As  soon 
as  his  army  entered  this  dan- 
gerous region,  the  birds  were 
let  loose;  they  cleared  the  way 
for  Moses  to  advance  in  safety. 
The    Ethiopians   thus   attack- 
ed  in  a  quarter,   unexpected, 
were  routed  and  driven  to  their 
capital  Jlferoe,  a  place   almost 
impregnable,     by    being    sur- 
rounded by  the  waters  of  three 
rivers,    the   Nile,    Astorphus, 
and   Astaboras.     The  daugh- 
ter  of  the  Ethiopian   monarch, 
however,     happening    to    see 
Moses  from    the   wall  of   the 
city,  fell  in  love  with  him,  and 
offered  to  deliver  up  the  city, 
if  she  might  become  his  wife. 
Moses  accepted  the  offer,  but 
treated  the  citizens  with  great" 
severity.     After  this,  he  rav- 
aged the  whole   country,  dis- 
manded     all     the    places     of 
strength,  rendered  the  country 
incapable  of  soon  invading  E- 
gypt  again,  and  returned  home 
in  triumph,   after  an  absence 
of  ten  vears. 


From  the  time  cf  Moses  to 
Solomon,  we  hear  nothing  of 
Ethiopia  or  Abyssinia.  After 
this  we  have  a  regular  history. 

ETROTH,  a  city  of  Ca- 
naan, east  of  Jordan,  in  the 
tribe  of  Gad.     See  Ataroth. 

EUPHRATES,  a  famous 
river  of  Asia,  the  source  of  which 
is  in  the  mountains  of  Armenia. 
It  runs  through  the  frontiers  of 
Cappadocia,  Syria,  Arabia  De- 
serta,Chaldea,and  Mesopotamia, 
and  thence  falls  into  the  Persian 
gulph.  In  its  course  it  separ- 
ates Diarbeck  from  Syria,  and 
from  Arabia.  At  present,  it 
discharges  itself  into  the  sea, 
through  a  channel  which  is 
common  to  this  river  and  the 
Tigris,  having  united  with  it 
60  miles  from  the  gulf;  but 
formerly  it  had  a  particular 
channel  of  its  own;  and  in  Pli- 
ny's time,  there  were  footsteps 
of  this  old  channel  to  be  seen. 
Moses,  Gen.  ii,  14,  says,  that 
the  Euphrates,  is  the  fourth  of 
those  rivers,  the  source  of 
which  was  in  Paradise.  ■  The 
scripture  calls  it  the  great  river, 
and  assigns  it  for  the  eastern 
boundary  of  that  land  which 
God  promised  to  the  Hebrews. 
Deut.  i,  7,  Josh,  i,  4.  Profane 
authors  inform  us,  that  the 
Euphrates  overflows  its  banks 
in  the  summer,  like  the  Nile, 
when  the  snow  upon  the  moun- 
tains of  Armenia  begins  to  melt. 
The  violent  tide  in  the  Persian 


EUP 


EZI 


Gulf,  causes  a  reflux  higher 
than  thirty  leagues  above  the 
mouth  of  the  Euphrates.  The 
Arabians  are  persuaded,  that 
the  waters  of  this  river  are  very 
healthful,  and  have  the  virtue  of 
curing  all  sorts  of  diseases. 
They  say  it  is  better  than  wine 
or  spirits.     Jackson. 

The  current  of  this  river  is 
slow;  yet  owing  to  the  sloth  of 
the  people  on  its  banks,  it  is 
less  useful  for  navigation,  than 
might  reasonably  be  expected 
from  the  great  body  of  water 
which  it  contains.  They  do 
not  remove  the  stones  from  its 
channel;  they  suffer  it  to  separ- 
ate into  different  streams,  so 
that  a  pilot  is  necessary  to  as- 
certain which  is  to  be  chosen. 
The  countries  through  which 
the  Euphrates  runs,  are  in  gen- 
eral delightful  plains,  decked 
with  verdure  and  flowers,  with 
willows  and  palm  trees,  fertile 
fields  and  rich  pastures.  The 
water,  though  considered  as  U 
universal  medicine,  is  generally 
foul  and  muddy,  and  in  passing 
through  some  deserts  it  be- 
comes yellowish.  When  die 
snow  melts  on  the  mountains 
of  Armenia,  this  stream  is  broad 
and  deep.  It  is  generally*  about 
4  or  500  feet  broad.  The  A- 
rabians  distinguish  different 
parts  of  this  river  by  the  Great- 
er and  Less.  The  Greater/lhey 
sav,  falls  into  the  Tigris  near 
21 


the  cities  of  Ambar  and  Fe!u- 
jah.  The  Minor,  which  how- 
ever is  really  the  largest  stream, 
after  forming  the  Nabathean 
fens,  on  the  east  of  Arabia  De- 
serta,  discharges  itself  into  the 
Tigris  at  Karnah.  To  prevent 
the  water  from  inundating  the 
adjacent  country,  attempts  have 
been  made  to  divide  the  cur- 
rent, but  the  efforts  have  not 
answered  expectations.  Some 
writers  have  placed  the  garden 
of  Eden  just  below  the  junction 
of  the  Tigris  and  Euphrates. 
This  river  is  put  for  the  Ma- 
hometan powers,  who  inhabit 
its  banks;  it  is  "to  be  dried  up," 
or  the  power  of  the  people 
crushed  at  the  commencement 
of  the  millenium. 

EZIONGABER,  a  city  of 
Idumea,  or  Arabia  Deserta, 
cast  from  the  Red  Sea,  and 
upon  the  western  side  of  a  gulf 
of  this  sea,  called  the  gulf  of 
Elan.  After  the  Israelites  had 
been  sometime  atEbronah,  they 
came  to  Eziongaber,  whence 
they  went  into  the  wilderness 
of  Sin,  where  the  city  of  Ka- 
desh  was  situated,  Num.xxxiii, 
35.  At  the  port  of  Ezion- 
gaber, Solomon  equipped  his 
fleet  for  the  voyage  to  Ophir, 
1  Kings  ix,  26.  Near  the  mouth 
of  this  harbor  there  was  a  ridge 
of  rocks  upon  which  the  fleet 
of  ships  was  lost,  which  had 
been  fitted  out  for  Ophir,  by 


GAA 


GAD 


Jehoshaphat,  in  conjunction 
with  Ahaziah,  king  of  Israel. 
From  these  rocks  the  place 
took  its  name,  Eziongaber, 
signifying  the  back  bone  of  a 
man,  which  these  rocks  resem- 
bled. (See  Prideaux  Connect, 
part  i,  book  i.)  Dr.  Shaw  sup- 
poses this  to  be  the  same,  which 
is  now  called  by  the  Arabians 
Meenah- el- Dsahab,  or  the  "port 
of  gold."  It  lies  in  the  gulf  of 
Eloth,  two  day's  journey,  or  a- 
bout  60  miles  from  mount  Si- 
nai; the  harbor  is  spacious  and 
has  plenty  of  lobsters,  and  oth- 
er shell-fish.     Lat.  28, 20. 

FAIRHAVEN,  a  port  in 
the  island  of  Crete,  Acts  xxvii, 
8.  Here  was  a  large  village. 
Jerome  and  others  speak  of  the 
place  as  a  town. 

FOREST  OF  BETHEL, 
was  the  place  whence  Elisha 
brought  those  bears,  which  de- 
voured the  children  of  Bethel, 
who  insulted  him,  2Kingsii,24. 

Forest  of  Ephraim.  See 
Ephraim. 

Forest  of  Hareth,  was 
situated  in  the  tribe  of  Judah, 
whither  David  retired.  See 
Hareth. 

Forest  of  Lebanon.  See 
Lebanon. 

GAASH,  a  hill  in  the  inher- 
itance of  Ephraim,  to  the  north 
of  which  stood  Timnath  Serah, 
a  place  celebrated  for  Joshua's 
tomb,  Josh,  xxiv,  30.  The 
brook  or  valley  of  Gaash,  men- 


tioned in  2  Sam.  xxiii,  30,  was 
probably  at  the  foot  of  the 
mountain  of  the  same  name. 
Hiddai  mentioned  ibid,  was  al- 
so in  the  valley  of  Gaash.  In 
the  fourth  century  the  sepul- 
chre of  Joshua,the  commander  of 
Israel,  was  shown  here.  Lat.32,2. 

GAB  A,  a  city  of  Benjamin 
assigned  to  the  Levites,  Josh, 
xviii,  24. 

GABARA  or  Gabaroth, 
a  town  of  Palestine  in  Galilee. 
Josephus  speaks  of  it  as  a  prin- 
cipal city.  Roland,  however, 
supposes  that  transcribers  have 
written  Gadara  for  Gabara.  See 
Gadara. 

GABETHON,  a  town  of 
Dan,  appropriated  to  the  Le- 
vites; but  the  Philistines  re- 
tained it  a  long  time. 

GAD,  tribe  of.  The  portion 
of  this  tribe  lay  east  of  the 
Jordan,  having  the  half  tribe  of 
Manasseh  north,  Reuben  south, 
and  the  mountains  of  Gilead 
east.  They,  however,  marched 
over  Jordan  with  the  other 
tribes  to  subdue  the  Canaanites 
for  their  brethren,  or  that  they 
might  have  a  quiet  habitation. 
They  returned,  not  only  victo- 
rious, but  loaded  with  spoil. 
Moses,  the  lawgiver  of  Israel, 
advanced  with  their  hosts  till 
they  entered  the  limits  of  this 
tribe,  then  ascended  the  moun- 
tain of  Nebo,  and  expired. 

When  this  tribe  emerged 
from    the   slavery   of    Egypt, 


GA£> 


GAD 


thair  able  men  were  45,650, 
but  when  numbered  in  the 
wilderness  they  had  decreased 
to  40,500. 

The  tribe  of  Gad  was  dis- 
tinguished for  its  intrepid  valor. 
When  David  was  in  distress, 
because  of  Saul,  and  was  con- 
cealed at  Ziklag,  and  at  the 
season  when  the  Jordan  had 
overflown  its  banks,  then  eleven 
captains  from  the  tribe  of  Gad 
plunged  into  the  swelling  flood, 
proceeded  to  David,  and  rout- 
ed his  enemies  from  the  east  to 
the  west.  "Their  faces  were  like 
the  faces  of  lions,  and  they 
were  swift  as  the  roes  on  the 
mountains."  The  situation  of 
this  tribe,  on  the  frontiers  of 
the  country,  and  ever  exposed 
to  attacks  from  the  Arabs, 
compelled  them  to  maintain  the 
spirit  of  soldiers.  Jacob  had 
said,  "Gad,  a  troop  shall  over- 
come him,  but  he  shall  over- 
come at  the  last,"  or  as  Dr. 
Clarke  translates  the  passage, 
"Gad,  an  army  shall  attack 
him,  and  he  shall  attack  in  re- 
turn." "It  is  likely,"  saith 
the  Dr.  "that  this  prophecy  had 
an  especial  fulfilment,  when 
this  tribe,  in  conjunction  with 
Reuben,  and  the  half  tribe  of 
Manasseh  obtained  a  great  vic- 
tory over  the  Hagarites,  taking 
captive  100,000  men,  2000  as- 
ses, 50,000 camels,  and  250,000 
sheep. 


Gad,  river  oj]  a  river  of  Ca- 
naan rising  in  the  eastern  bor- 
ders of  Gad,  and  running  to 
the  south  limit  of  Reuben.  It 
is  thought  to  be  the  same  as 
the  Anion.     See  Arnon. 

GADARA,  a  celebrated  city 
beyond  Jordan.  Josephus  says 
it  was  the  capital  of  Perea,  sit- 
uated eastward  of  the  lake  of 
Tiberias,  sixty  furlongs  from 
the  shore.  It  gave  its  name  to 
a  canton  beyond  Jordan,  and 
St.  Mark  v,  1,  says,  that  our 
Savior,  having;  passed  the  sea 
of  Tiberias,  came  into  the 
country  ol  the  Gadarenes,  St. 
Luke  viii,  26,  says  the  same, 
but  St.  Matt,  viii,  28,  calls  it 
the  country  of  the  Gergascnes, 
however,  there  are  some  Greek 
copies,  which  read  Gadarenes. 
But  we  are  told,  that  Gergasa 
was  near  Gadara,  and  the  ter- 
ritory belonging  to  it  larger, 
than  that  of  this  last  city,  as 
the  lands  belonging  to  the  one 
were  included  within  the  oth- 
er, some  of  the  evangelists 
might  say,  the  country  of  the 
Gergasenes,  others  the  country 
of  the  Gadarenes.  This  being 
a  frontier  part  of  the  country, 
they  might  raise  swine  to  sell 
to  their  Gentile  neighbors,  or 
probably,  as  is  usual  in  such 
cases  many  Gentiles  might  live 
here,  so  near  the  line,  and  raise 
swine.  The}'  desired  Christ  to 
leave  their  country,  and  in  40 


GAL 


GAL 


years   their   country  was  des- 
troyed.    See  Gerasa. 

GADARA,  a  city  of  Pales- 
tine. Perhaps  the  same  as 
Gazer,  Gazera,  Gedor,  Gadera, 
Gador,  Gadaroth,  frequently 
mentioned  in  Josephus  and  the 
book  of  Maccabees.  Its  situ- 
ation is  uncertain,  but  probably 
was  near  to  Jarnnia. 

,GADI,  a  town  of  Palestine 
in  the  south  part  of  Judah, 
where  Bani,  a  gallant  officer  in 
David's  army  was  born.  The 
same  place  probably  as  Gadah, 
or  Hazor-Gaddah. 

GALATIA,  a  province  of 
Asia  Minor,  bounded  on  the 
west  by  Phrygia,  on  the  east 
by  the  river  Halys,  on  the 
north  by  Paphlagonia,  on  the 
south  by  Lycaonia.  It  took 
its  name  most  probably  from 
the  Gauls,  who  under  their 
captain  Leonorius,  as  Strabo 
informs  us,  left  thur  own  coun- 
try in  Europe,  and  having  rav- 
aged Italy  and  Greece,  burned 
the  city  of  Rome,  passed  into 
the  Asiatic  continent;  and  ad- 
vanced as  far  as  Babylon,  car- 
rying conquest  and  ruin  where 
they  went;  but  being  broken  by 
Attalus  king  of  Pevg;!mus,  and 
driven  out  of  other  parts,  ihey 
were  at  last  confined  to  this 
province,  where,  in  a  short  time, 
they  established  their  own  lan- 
guage, which,  as  St.  Jerome 
informs  us,  was  in  use  in  his 


time,  and  very  much  like  that 
which  the  people  of  Triers  or 
Treves,  in  the  European  Gaul, 
were  known  to  speak.  This  re- 
lation is  confirmed  by  the  unit- 
ed opinion  of  antiquity. 

GALATIANS,  a  people 
mentioned  2  Maccab.  viii,  20, 
inhabitants  of  the  above  coun- 
try. To  encourage  his  people 
against  their  enemies,  Judas 
Maccabeus  reminds  them  of 
the  valiant  exploits  performed 
by  their  ancestors,  and  among 
other  things  tells  them,  that 
eight  thousand  of  their  coun- 
trymen had  slain  one  hundred 
and  twenty  thousand  Galatians. 
The  history  of  these  ancient 
Galatians,  Gauls,  or  French, 
is  full  of  such  bloody  events. 
About  four  hundred  years  be- 
fore Christ,  the  French  or  Gauls 
marched  an  army  into  Italy; 
not  a  man  returned,  every  in- 
dividual was  slain.  In  other 
expeditions  for  plunder  and 
murder,  they  engaged,  but  ow- 
ing to  their  want  of  discipline, 
were  generally  unsuccessful. 
Yet  so  terrible  to  the  old  Ro- 
mans were  their  fierceness  and 
ferocity,  that  on  the  first  report 
that  a  French  army  was  march- 
ing, extraordinary  levies  of 
troops  were  made,  public 
prayers  and  sacrifices  were  of- 
fered to  the  gods,  and  the  laws 
for  a  time  were  abolished,  or 
suspended,  which  granted  im- 


GAL 


GAL 


inanity  from  military  services 
to  priests  and  old  men.  Every 
man  was  armed  who  could  hold 
a  weapon,  on  the  approach  of  a 
French  army.  In  one  of  their 
expeditions  into  Greece  279 
years  B.  C.  an  army  of  165,000 
was  routed  with  dreadful 
slaughter.  Brennus  their  com- 
mander, being  wounded,  and 
finding  his  cause  desperate,  he 
assembled  his  chief  officers,  and 
advised  them  to  kill  all  their 
sick  and  wounded,  and  make 
the  best  retreat  they  could.  Ac- 
cordingly 20,000  poor  wretches 
were  murdered  by  their  breth- 
ren. The  commander  murder- 
ed himself.  This  agrees  with 
some  modern  facts,  and  proves 
the  uniformity  of  their  charac- 
ter. Their  name,  Gauls,  in  the 
Celtic  language  signifies  brave 
or  rather  -warlike,  and  such  the 
nation  was  then  allowed  to  be 
by  all  who  knew  them.  Their 
history,  like  that  of  the  Arabs, 
shows  the  permanency  of  char- 
acter in  a  family  or  nation. 
For  three  thousand  seven  hun- 
dred years  the  family  of  Ish- 
mael  have  been  robbers  and 
murderers.  The  character  of 
the  Gauls  has  continued  much 
the  same  ever  since  they  were 
known  in  history.  Five  hun- 
dred and  eighty-eight  years  be- 
fore Christ,  they  broke  into 
Italy  with  all  the  fury  of  sav- 
age conquerors;  about  two  hun- 


dred years  after  they  returned, 
plundered  and  burned  the  city 
of  Rome,  and  about  two  hun- 
dred and  seventy  years  before 
Christ,  they  lifted  their  bloody 
sword  over  Asia  Minor,  and 
settled  a  colony  in  Galathi.  St. 
Paul  visited  Galatia,  A.  D.  50 
or  51,  and  founded  a  number 
of  churches.  In  52  he  wrote 
them  a  letter,  and  visited  them 
again  in  53.  From  his  letter 
it  seems,  that  Christianity  itself 
did  not  alter  their  national  char- 
acter. They  received  him  not 
merely  with  the?  ardent  affec- 
tion due  to  an  apostle,  but  as 
if  he  were  an  angel  or  Jesus 
Christ  himself.  They  were 
ready  to  give  him  their  eyes; 
yet  "soon"  after,  such  was  the 
fickleness  and  ferocity  of  their 
temper,  that  they  became  his 
enemies,  merely  because  he 
told  them  the  truth.  He  com- 
plains that  they  behaved  as  if 
they  were  "bewitched,"  or  pos- 
sessed with  evil  spirits,  or  un- 
der the  influence  of  enchant- 
ment. Folio  Geog.  of  Moll ,  vol.ii. 
GALILEE,  a  northern  fruit- 
ful province  of  Palestine,  which 
consisted  of  what  had  been  the 
territories  of  Issachar,  Zebulon, 
Naphtali,  and  Asher,  with  part, 
as  some  say,  of  Dan  and  Parea, 
beyond  the  Jordan.  On  the 
north  it  is  bounded  by  Leba- 
non and  Syria,  on  the  west  by 
Phenicia,    on    the     south    Lv 


GAL 


GAT 


Samaria,  on  the  east  mostly  by 
the  river  Jordan  and  the  sea  of 
Galilee.  It  is  generally  divided 
into  two  parts;  the  Upper  and 
the  Lower  Galilee,  the  former 
is  called  Galilee  of  the  Gentiles, 
Matt,  vi,  15,  either  because  it 
was  chiefly  possessed  by  the 
Gentiles  with  Jews  interspersed 
amongst  them,  or  rather  be- 
cause it  bordered  upon  Gentile 
nations,  such  as  the  Phenicians, 
Syrians,  and  Arabians.  The 
whole  country  was  fruitful  and 
well  cultivated,  and  the  people 
industrious.  .The  number  of 
its  towns  and  villages  was  pro 
digiously  great,  and  so  popu- 
lous, that  the  least  of  them  did 
not  contain  less  than  fifteen 
thousand  souls.  The  natives 
were  a  bold  intrepid  race  of 
men,  but  their  wealth  and 
prowess  made  them  seditious, 
and  prone  to  rebel  against  the 
Romans,  for  which  they  some- 
times severely  suffered.  Whit- 
by's Alphabetical  Table. 

Every  one  knows  that  our 
Savior  was  called  a  Galilean, 
because  he  was  brought  up  at 
Nazareth,  a  city  of  Galilee. 
His  disciples  and  other  Chris- 
tians in  general,  were  likewise 
called  Galileans,  because  the 
apostles  were  of  Galilee. 

Galilee,  sea  of,  a  lake  of 
delicious  water  in  Palatine;  it 
is  6  miles  wide  from  east  to 
west,  and  18  long  from  north 


to  south.  It  is  viewed  with 
veneration  by  Christians  from 
having  been  frequented  by 
Christ  and  his  apostles.  It 
abounds  with  delicate  fish. 
The  Jordan  passes  through  this 
lake. 

GALLIM,  a  town  of  Ca- 
naan east  from  the  Jordan,  in 
the  land  of  Moab.  fMariti.J 
It  was  eight  miles  south  from 
the  city  of  Ar.  Lat.  31,32. 

GAROB,  a  hill  near  Jerusa- 
lem. 

GATH,  or  Geth,  a  cele- 
brated city  of  the  Philistines, 
and  one  of  their  five  principali- 
ties. 1  Sam.  vi,17.  It  stood  on  a 
hill  east  of  Ashdod,  on  the  coast 
of  the  Mediterranean.  It  is  fa- 
mous for  having  given  birth  to 
Goliah.  Id.  xvii,  4.  David 
made  a  conquest  of  it,  in  the 
beginning  of  his  reign  over  all 
Israel. 

Gath  stood  about  5  or  6 
miles  from  Jamnia,  about  14 
south  of  Joppa,  and  thirty  two 
west  of  Jerusalem.  Several 
more  of  the  name  of  Geth  or 
Gath,  are  mentioned  in  Euse- 
bius  and  St.  Jerome,  whose 
situation  according  to  them, 
plainly  shows  them  to  have 
been  different  places  from  this 
and  from  each  other,  beside 
those  which  had  an  adjunct  to 
distinguish  them. 

GATHOPHER,  or  Gath- 
epher,  or  Gath,  in  Galilee, 


GEU 


GAZ 


was  the  birth  place  of  the 
prophet  Jonah.  2  Kings  xiv, 
25;  Josh,  xix,  13,  makes  this 
city  to  be  part  of  the  tribe  of 
Zebulon;  and  St.  Jerome  says, 
that  it  was  two  miles  from 
Sephoris,  otherwise  called  Di- 
ocesarea,  and  that  the  tomb  of 
the  prophet  Jonah  was  then  to 
be  seen  there. 

GATHRIMMON,  a  city 
belonging  to  the  tribe  of  Dan. 
Josh  xix,  45.  St.  Jerome  pla- 
ces it  ten  miles  from  Diospo- 
lis,  on  the  way  from  Eleuther- 
opolis.  It  was  given  to  the 
Levites  of  Koath's  family. 

Gathrimmon,  a  city  in  the 
half  tribe  of  Manasseh,  on  this 
side  Jordan,  and  was  also  given 
to  the  Levites  of  Koath's  fam- 
ily.    Josh,  xxi,  25. 

Gathrimmon,  a  city  in  the 
tribe  of  Ephraim  given  to  the 
Kohathites. 

GAULON,  or  Golan,  a  ci- 
ty of  Canaan,  east  of  the  Jor- 
dan, from  which  the  province 
of  Gaulonitis  had  its  name;  it 
lay  in  the  half  tribe  of  Ma- 
nasseh; it  was  ceded  to  the 
Levites  of  Gershom's  family, 
and  was  also  a  city  of  refuge. 
In  the  time  of  Eusebius  it  was 
a  considerable  town.  It  was 
in  the  Upper  Galilee,  and  the 
birth  place  of  Judas,  the  head 
of  the  Galileans.     Lat.  32,  48. 

GEUCLONITIS,  a  prov- 
ince of  Canaan,  extending  from 
Perea  to  mount  Lebanon. 


GAZA,  a  city  of  the  Philis- 
tines, by  Joshua  xv,  47,  and  1 
Sam.  vi,  15,  made  part  of  the 
tribe  of  Judah.  It  was  one  of 
the  five  principalities  of  the 
Philistines,  situated  towards  the 
southern  extremity  of  the  prom- 
ised land.  In  the  Hebrew  text, 
it  is  called  Aza  or  Hasa,  with 
an  Hain  or  Ainy  which  the  Sep- 
tuagint  express  sometimes  by 
a  G.  Stephens,  the  geogra- 
pher says,  that  in  his  time  the 
Syrians  still  called  it  Aza.  It 
is  situated  between  Raphia  and 
Askelon.  The  advantageous 
situation  ofGazawasthe  cause 
of  the  many  revolutions  to 
which  it  has  been  subject.  It 
first  belonged  to  the  Philistines, 
then  to  the  Hebrews.  It  re- 
covered its  liberty  in  the  reigns 
of  Jotham  and  Ahaz,  and  was 
reconquered  by  Hezekiah,  2 
Kings  xviii,  8.  It  was  subject 
to  the  Chaldeans,  who  con- 
quered Syria  and  Phenicia. 
Afterwards  it  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  Persians.  They  were 
masters  of  it,  when  Alexander 
besieged,  took,  and  destroyed 
it.  He  rendered  it  a  desert, 
says  Strabo.  He  dismantled 
it,  and  a  new  city,  or  another 
city  rose  from  its  ruins,  nearer 
to  the  sea.  After  which,  an- 
cient writers  speak  of  old  Gaza, 
and  Strabo  mentions,  Gaza  the 
desert,  which  agrees  with  Acts 
viii,  26.  The  new  city  was 
called   Majuma.      In  this  de- 


GAZ 


GAZ 


struction  were  verified  the  pre- 
dictions  of  the  prophets,    "I 
will  send  a  fire  on  the  wall  of 
Gaza,  which  shall  devour  her 
palaces,    Amos    i,  7.     "Gaza 
shall  be  forsaken,"  Zeph.  ii,  4. 
It  was  afterwards  possessed  by 
the   Kings  of  Judah.     Antio- 
chus    the    Great,     took,    and 
sacked  it.      The   Asmoneans, 
or  Maccabees,  took  it  several 
times  from  the  Syrians,  1  Mace, 
xi,  61,  and  xiii,  43.     Alexan- 
der Jannaeus,  king  of  the  Jews, 
took  and  destroyed   it.     Gab- 
binus  repaired  it,  and  coins  are 
to  be  seen,  which  were  stamp- 
ed in  this  city.   Augustus  gave 
it  to  Herod  the  Great;  but  it 
was  not  under  the    obedience 
of  his  son  Archelaus.  St.  Luke, 
Acts  viii,  26,  says,  that  Gaza 
in  his  time  was  a  desert  place; 
meaning  in  all  probability,  that 
the  old  city  of  Gaza,  situated 
upon  a  mountain,  and  not  Ma- 
juma  or  new  Gaza,  which  was 
very  populous.     The  emperor 
Constantine  gave  Majuma  the 
name  of  Constantia,  in  honor 
of  his  son,  and  granted  it  the 
honors  and  privileges  of  a  city, 
independent  of  Gaza.     But  the 
emperor  Julian  deprived  it  of 
both  its  name  and  privileges. 
Some   marks    of    the   ancient 
grandeur  of  Gaza  are  now  seen 
in  the  marble  columns,  which 
support    their   dirty    cottages, 
and  it  has  a  better  appearance, 


than  most  of  the  places  in  Pal- 
estine;   but    the    suburbs   are 
nothing  but  wretched  huts  of 
.  mud;    and    on  the    roofs  they 
sow  and  plant,  as  in   gardens, 
the   vicinity   is    undescribably 
delightful  by  a  number  of  ex- 
tensive  gardens,  cultivated  in 
the  best  manner;  the  olive  trees 
and  fields  of  wheat  increase  the 
beauty   of  the    prospect.      A 
disease  of  the  eyes  is  common 
here,  and  many  of  the   people 
are  led  through  the  streets,  en- 
tirely blind.    While  the  French 
army   was   here,   a   few   years 
since,  509  of  them   died  with 
the  plague.     In  the  town  is  a 
considerable  number  of  Chris- 
tians; they  live  in  a  particular 
part  of  the  city  by  themselves; 
as   do  those  of  different  reli- 
gions.    From  the  walls  of  Ga- 
za, we  view  at  once  the  sea, 
separated  by  a  sandy  beach,   a 
quarter  of  a  league  wide,   and 
the  country  whose  date  trees, 
and  flat  and  naked  aspect,    as 
far  as  the  eye  can  discern,  re- 
minds us  of  Egypt;   in  fact,  in 
this  latitude,   the    soil  and  the 
climate  appear  to  be  truly  Ara- 
bian.    The  heat,  the  drought, 
the  winds,  and  the  dews,  are  the 
same   as  on  the  banks  of  the 
Nile.    The  inhabitants  have  the 
complexion,    the    stature,    the 
manners,  and  language  of  the 
Egyptians,  rather  than  the  Sy- 
rians.    Gaza   standing    on   an 


GA2 


GEB 


eminence,  is  rendered  pictur- 
esque by  the  number  of  its 
fine  minarets  or  spires,  which 
rise  Majestically  above  the 
buildings,  and  by  the  beautiful 
date  trees  interspersed.  A  fine 
plain  commences  three  miles 
from  the  town,  in  which  are 
several  groves  of  olive  trees. 
Near  the  town  the  view  be- 
comes more  interesting,  the 
olive  trees  arc  more  plenty.  A 
mile  from  the  town  is  a  com- 
manding hill.  The  town  stands 
three  miles  from  the  sea,  hav- 
ing an  indifferent  port.  It  is 
in  the  south-west  corner  of  Ca- 
naan, on  the  skirts  of  the  desert 
towards  Egypt;  The  gates  of 
this  ciry,  Sampson  carried  a- 
way,  and  here  afterwards  he 
pulled  down  the  temple  of 
Dagon  on  the  lords  of  the 
Philistines;  here  Philip  baptiz- 
ed the  Eunuch  of  Ethiopia. 
The  town  has  now  about  2000 
inhabitants,  and  has  a  manu- 
facture of  cotton,  which  em- 
ploys 500  looms  here,  and  in 
the  vicinity.  The  articles  of 
commerce  are  furnished  by  the 
caravans,  which  pass  between 
Egypt  and  Syria,  and  the  Arabs, 
who  bring  their  plunder  here, 
and  sell  it  for  less  than  its  val- 
ue. The  town  has  a  strong 
eastle  with  two  iron  gates,  over 
against  which  is  die  Seraglio  of 
the  Basha.  At  a  little  distance 
from  the  town  is  shown  a  pile 
22 


of  rubbish,  which,  they  pretend, 
is  the  ruins  of  the  temple,  pul- 
led down  by  Sampson.  The 
Greeks  have  here  a  handsome 
church;  the  roof  is  supported 
by  marble  pillars  of  the  Corin- 
thian order,  with  all  their  prop- 
er ornaments.  The  Armenians 
have  a  church  here.  Without 
the  ciry  are  some  beautiful 
mosques,  which  once  were 
christian  churches.  U->der  the 
government  of  the  Sai.giac, 
who  resides  here,  are  three  hun- 
dred villages.  The  country 
round  Gaza  is  very  fruitful, 
producing  spontaneously,  pom- 
egranites,  dates,  oranges,  and 
flowers,  which  are  in  great  re- 
pute at  Constantinople.  The 
French  army  took  Gaza  in 
1797,  but  soon  deserted  it.  It 
is  50  miles  S.  W.  from  Jeru- 
salem. Lat.  31  28;  long.  34, 
44.  JVittman,  T/ievenot,  fiozv- 
en>  Top.  Diet.  Volney. 

GAZA,  a  city  of  Ephraim, 
1  Chron.  vii,  28. 

GAZER,  or  Gezer,  a  city 
not  for  from  Joppa  on  the  south 
west  corner  of  Ephraim;  but  the 
Canaanites  kept  possession  of  it 
for  a  long  time.     Judges  i,  29. 

GEBA,  one  of  the  cities  of 
Benjamin  mentioned  in  Josh, 
xviii,  24,  Sec.       _ 

GEBAL,  this  word  is  to  be 
met  wi|h  only  in  Psalm  lxxxiii, 
.7.  Gebal,  Amnion,  and  Ama- 
lek.     JBut  the  Chuldee  and  the 


GEB 


GEH 


Samaritan  version,  instead  of 
mount  Seir,  sometimes  put 
mount  Gebla.  Josephus,  like- 
wise, speaks  of  the  Gebilitts, 
to  the  south  of  Palestine,  and 
Stephens,  of  the  Gabalek,  in 
Arabia,  which  is  the  same  with 
the  country  of  Arnalek.  Eu- 
sebius  and  Jerome  often  men- 
tion the  Gebalene  in  Idumea, 
and  its  capital,  Petra.  From 
these  circumstances  it  may  be 
gathered,  that  the  country, 
which  the  Psalmist  calls  Gebal, 
lies  south  of  Judah,  and  in 
south  Idumea.  Gebal  signi- 
fies a  mountain.  It  was  prob- 
ably a  kingdom,  or  indepen- 
dent sovereignty,  because  it  is 
connected,  or  mentioned  with 
such  powers  by  David. 

Gebal,  the  name  of  a  hill 
in  Phenicia,  perhaps  the  same 
which  is  sometimes  called  By- 
blus.  Pliny  calls  it  Gabale, 
and  its  modern  name  is  Gibyle. 
This  was  the  region  of  the 
Gibelites,  mentioned,  Joshua 
xiii,  5.  jrlence  Solomon  had 
his  Tyrian  stone  cutters,  1 
Kings  v,  18.  The  ancients  of 
Gebal  were  occupied  in  mak- 
ing and  repairing  the  Tyrian 
ships,  Ezek.  xxvii,  9.  Byblus 
was  famous  for  a  temple  of 
Adonis  or  Tammuz,  it  now 
has  a  ditch  round  it,  with  some 
square  towers,  but  is  miserably 
poor,  and  remarkable  only  for 
itsbrokenpillarsand  other  ruins. 
GEBIM,  a  place  mentioned 


in  Isaiah  xx,  31.  It  is  supposed 
tohave  been  a  city  of  Benjamin. 

GEDER,  is  probably  the 
same  as  Gadro,  t  Chr.  iv,  39, 
and  Gederoth,  2  Chr.  xxiii,  18; 
Gedor,  Josh,  xv,  58, and  Gazer, 
Gazera,and  even  Gadara  or  Ga- 
dera,in  the  Maccabees.  It  was  a 
city  in  the  tribe  ofEphraim,ap- 
propriated  to  tlv  Le'vites.  Josh- 
ua fought  and  slew  the  king  of 
this  place;  yet  the  Ephraimites 
were  not  able-  to  expel  the  Ca- 
naan ites. 

GEDEROTH,  the  name  of 
two  cities  in  the  tribe  of  Judah; 
one  of  which  lay  south-west 
from  Jerusalem,  and  was  taken 
by  the  Philistines  in  the  time 
of  Ahaz,  Joshua  xv,  21. 

GEDOR,  or  Geder,  the 
name  of  a  place,  see  Geder« 

GEHENNOM,  a  valley,  ly- 
ing on  the  south  and  east  of 
Jerusalem,  through  which  ran 
the  brook  Kidron.  In  the  Sy- 
riac  the  word  signifies  hslL 
The  Arabic  root  signifies  to 
shriek,  and  to  complain,  to  im- 
plore, whence  Simon  would 
render  Gehinnom,  the  valley 
of  lamentation,  and  he  enfor- 
ces this  by  referring  to  the  la- 
mentations, or  shrieks  of  the 
children,  who  were  heie  sacri- 
ficed to  Moloch,  Josh,  xv,  8. 
But  as  it  is  called  the  valley  of 
the  son  of  Hinnom,  some  have 
supposed,  it  was  so  denomin- 
ated from  the  name  of  a  family. 
Gehinnom  having    been    the 


GEtf 


GER 


the  scene  of  much  cruelty,  to 
:dcr  such  idolatry  odious,  the 
place  was  devoted  to  filthiness 
and  pollution.  It  has  been  said 
that  fires  were  continually  burn- 
ing here  to  consume  the  filth 
carried  there  from  the  city. 
Thus  the  ideas  of  wickedness, 
pollution,  and  punishment,  u-. 
nite  to  justify  the  Syriac  lan- 
guage in  deriving  its  name  for 
HeII,from  the  valley  of  Hinnom. 

GEL1LOTH,  *«?  Gilcal. 
Some,  however,  suppose  it  to 
be  the  place  beyond  Jordan, 
where  the  tribes  of  Reuben, 
Gad,  and  the  half  tribe  of  Ma- 
nasseh,  erected  a  monument  to 
perpetuate  their  relation  to  the 
other  tribes.  Others  suppose 
it  was  named  from  the  form  of 
the  hills  in  the  district.  Geli- 
Joth  signifies  the  circles. 

GEN  AM,  or  Ganais,  the 
valley  of  Nairn,  a  village  in  the 
great  plain  of  Samaria. 

GENES AR,  or  Genes a- 
ketk,  see  Cinnereth,  and  Gal- 
ilee, Sea  of. 

GENN  tSAKETHJandof, 
the  region  along  the  above  lake. 
The  Jews  believed  it  to  be  the 
most  fruitful  spot  in  the  world. 
They  said  no  plant  or  fruit  came 
amiss  to  this  place.  It  was 
equally  famous  for  its  delicious 
air  and  crystal  waters.  The 
length  of  this  remarkable  tract 
was  four  miles,  the  breadth  two 
and  a  half.  Some  conjecture 
its  name  was  derived  from  two 


words  signifying  a  garden  and 
a  prince,  the  garden  of  a  prince, 
or  a  princely  garden.  Jose- 
phus  attributes  the  extraordi- 
nary fruhfulness  of  the  ground 
to  the  peculiar  Providence  of 
God,  as  if  he  took  delight  in 
this  spot  of  ground;  it  was 
a  common  saying  among  the 
Jews,  that  God  loved  the  sea  of 
Gennasareth  more  than  any 
other  ?ea. 

GERAR,  a  royal  city  of  the 
Philistines,  situated  not  far 
from  the  angle,  where  the  south 
and  west  sides  of  Palestine 
meet,  and  the  country  to  which 
it  gave  name,  extended  itself 
.  into  Arabia1  Pajtrae.  This  city 
could  not  be  far  from  Gaza. 
Jerome  says,  it  was  three  days 
journey  from  Jerusalem.  So- 
zomen  mentions  a  brook,  near 
to  Gerar,  on  which  was  a  mo- 
nastery in  his  time. 

GERASA,  or  Gergesa,  a 
city  east  of  the  Dead  Sea,  by 
some  placed  in  Ccelo  Syria,  and 
by  others  in  Arabia.  See  Ga- 
dara.  Probably,  however,  this 
place  lay  on  the  lake  of  Gali- 
lee, within  the  district  of  De- 
capolis,  and  not  far  from  Gada- 
ra.  Hence  one  Evangelist  says, 
it  was  in  the  country  of  the  Gad- 
arenes,  that  the  swine  ran  down 
into  the  lake,  ckc.  Another 
says,  it  was  the  country  of  the 
Gergesenes,  because,  .probably, 
the  event  took  place  in  the  re- 
gioiiv  between  these  two  cities* 


GKR 


cm- 


#nc  writer  had  one  town  in  his 
eye,  the  other  town  occurred  to 
the  other.  Ongen  says,  that 
in  his  time,  people  showed  the 
precipice  on  the  sea  of  Tiberi- 
us from  which  the  swine  rush- 
ed into  the  water.  Lat.  32,31. 
GERGESENES,  see  Ga» 
dara. 

'GERIZIM,  the  name  of  a 
mountain  near  Shechem,  in  the 
tribe  of  Ephraim,  in  the  prov- 
ince of  Samaria.  The  city  of 
Sechem  lay  at  the  foot  of  two 
mountains,  Ebal  and  Gerizim, 
the  former  of  which  was  a  very 
barren  mountain,  the  latter 
fruitful.  God  had  commanded, 
that  the  Hebrews,  after  the  pas- 
sage of  the  river  Jordan,  should 
go  to  the  mountains,  Ebal,  and 
Gerizim;  and  that  the  twelve 
tribes  should  be  divided,  so 
that  six  might  have  their  sta- 
tion on  mount  Gerizim,  and 
six  on  mount  Ebal;  the  former 
were  to  pronounce  blessings 
upon  those,  who  should  ob- 
serve the  law  of  the  Lord,  and 
the  latter  curses  against  those, 
who  should  violate  it,  Deut. 
3fi,29;  and  xxvii,12.  See  Ebal. 
The  Samaritans  maintain,  that 
Abraham  and  Jacob  erected 
altars  at  Gerizim,  and  that  there 
Abraham  prepared  to  sacrifice 
his  son  Isaac.     See  Moriah. 

Mr.  Maundrel  observes,  that 
neither  Ebal,  nor  Gerizim, have 
much  to  boast  of  on  account  of 
their  appearance;  yet  Gerizim 


seems  to  be  the  most  verdanS 
and  fruitful.  Ebal  is  scorched, 
having  a  southern  aspect;  Geri- 
zim, fronting  the  north,  is  in  a 
manner  sheltered  from  the  sun 
by   its  own  shade. 

GERRENIANS,  or  Ger- 
itiEANs,  spoken  of  in  the  sec- 
ond book  of  Macca.  xiii,  24, 
are  in  all  probability  the  inhab- 
itants ol  Gerar.  See  Gerar. 
GERSI,  when  David  tarri- 
ed some  time  at  Ziklag,  he 
made  inroads  upon  the  territo- 
ries of  Gerzi,  probably,  it  lay 
among  the  mountains  of  Seir, 
as  Ziklag  was  ;on  the  southern 
border  of  Judah. 

GESHUR,  inj  Syria,  had  its 
own  peculiar, independent  king, 
whose  daughter  David  married, 
who  was  the  mother  of  Absa- 
lom, 2  Sam.  xv,  8.    Absalom, 
after  the  murder  of  his  brother 
Ammon,  retired  to  the  king  of 
G  shur,  his  grandfather,Ib.xiii. 
Gl  AH,  a  valley,  not  far  from 
G.ibt.on,  2  Sam   ii,  24. 
GEUEL,  or  GuELo?^  GueL 
GEZER,   or    Geder,    see 
Geder. 

GEZRITES,  or  Gerzites. 
These  Gezrites  Mr.  Wells 
takes  to  be  the  same  with  the 
Gerrenians,  or  inhabitants  of 
Gerar.  See  the  article  Gerre- 
nians. 

GETHSEMANE,  may  sig- 
nify the  oil  press.  This  was 
a  village  in  the  mount  of  Olives, 
whither  Jesus  Christ  sometimes 


am 


retreated  in  the  night  time.     It 
was  in  a  garden  belonging  to 
this  village,  that  he  was  pray- 
ing, when  arrested    by  Judas 
and  the  others,  who  were  con- 
ducted by  him.  See  Matt,  xxvi, 
36,  &c.    This  garden  is  a  level 
plat    of  ground,  about    fifteen 
rods  square,  lying  between  the 
foot  ot    mount  Olivet  and  the 
brook  Cedron.     It  is  now  well 
covered  with  olive  trees;  some 
of    them   so   remarkably     an- 
cient,  as    to    be    thought   the 
same  which  were  there  in  the 
time    of  our  Savior.     At   the 
upper  corner  of  the  garden  is  a 
flat  naked  ledge  of  rock,  reput- 
ed to  be  the  very  spot  on  which 
the  apostles  Peter,  James,  and 
John    fell    asleep    during    the 
dreadful  agony  of    our  Lord. 
A  few  paces  distant  is  a  grotto, 
said  to  be  the  place,  in  which 
the  Savior  of  the  world  under- 
went that  -bitter  part  of  his  pas- 
sion.    Eight  paces  from  where 
the    apostles   slept   is  a  small 
shred  of  ground  twelve  yards 
long  and  one  broad,  supposed  to 
be  the  very  same  path  in  which 
the  traitor  Judas  walked  up  to 
Jesus    Christ,    saying,     "Hail, 
Master,"     and     kissing    him. 
This  narrow  path  is    separated 
by  a  wall  out  of  the  midst  of 
the  garden,  as  an  accursed  piece 
of  land.      This    work    is   the 
more  remarkable,  as  probably 


it  was  done  by  the  Mahome- 
tans, who,  as  well  as  the  Chris- 
tians, detest  the  very  ground 
on  which  was  manifested  such 
infamous  treachery. 

GEZER,  a  town  on  the 
south  quarter  of  Canaan,  which 
David  smote,  1  Sam.  xxvii,  8. 
These  people  might  be  a  col- 
ony from  Gazer,  and  change 
the  former  name  of  the  coun- 
try Gerar,  into  Gezer.  These 
Gezerites  or  Gerarites  are  prob- 
ably the  Gereans  of  whom  we 
hear  in  the  time  of  the  Macca- 
bees. Which  of  these  places 
it  was  that  Pharaoh  took  and 
burned,  and  gave  as  a  dowry 
with  his  daughter  to  Solomon, 
and  who  repaired  it,  is  wholly 
uncertain,  1  Kings  ix,  15. 

GIBBETHON,  a  city  of  the 
tribe  of  Dan,  allotted  to  the 
Levites,  Josh,  xxi,  23.  This 
was  a  strong  place,  and  endur- 
ed a  long  seige  against  Nadab. 
2  Chron.  xvi. 

GIBBEAH,  a  city  in  the 
tribe  of  Benjamin,  lying  north 
of  Jerusalem,  about  twenty  or 
thirty  furlongs,  built  upon  a  hill 
as  its  name  imports.   See  Geba. 

This  city  is  celebrated  upon 
several  occasions;  it  gave  birth 
to  Saul,  the  first  king  of  Israel, 
for  which  reason  it  is  frequent- 
ly called  Gibeah  of  Saul.  It  is 
also  notorious  for  its  sins,  and 
for  that  particularly  which  was 


GIH 


GIH 


Committed  by  forcing  the  young 
Levite's  wife,  Judg.  xix. 

Gibe  ah,  a  town  in  the  tribe 
of  Judah.  Josh,  xv,  57. 

Gibe  ah,  a  hill  of  Palestine, 
where  Eleazar  was  buried. 
Josh,  xxiv,  33. 

GIBEON,  a  city  seated  on  an 
eminence,  about  thirty  furlongs 
from  Jerusalem  northward,  and 
not  far  from  the  city  of  Gibeah. 
Eusebius  tells  us  that  it  was  a 
town  or  village  in  his  time,  re- 
taining its  ancient  name,  four 
miles  west  of  Bethel.  See  Geba. 
This  was  the  capital  city  of 
the  Gibeonifes. 

GIBL1TES,  Josh,  xiii,  5. 
The  same  as  Byblites.  See 
Byblos 

Gf  BLOS,  a  city  of  Phenicia, 
whose  people  were  skilful  in 
cutting  wood  and  stone,  and 
ship  building.      See  Byblos. 

GIHON,'  one  of  the  four 
rivers,  the  source  of  which  was 
in  paradise,  Gen.  ii,  13.  See 
.Eden,  Paradise,  Pison.  This 
"being  the  second  river,  men- 
tioned by  Moses,  as  flowing 
out  of  Paradibe,  it  is  said  irytbe 
original  to  compass  or  iini 
along  the  whole  land  of  Cush, 
which  the  Septu  igint  translate 
Ethiopia,  and  this  mistake  is 
all  along  followed  by  our  Eng- 
lish version;  whereas  by  the 
land  of  Cush  is  meant  proba- 
bly some  part  of  Arabia,  cer- 
tainly not  Africa.      This  mis- 


take led  Josephus  and  several 
others  into  a  notion,  that  the 
river  Gihon  was  the  Nile. 
They  have  run  into  another 
error,  and  taken  Pison  for  the 
Ganges  by  which  they  make 
the  Garden  of  Eden  contain 
the  greatest  part  of  Asia  and 
some  part  of  Africa.  Patrick, 
Bedford,   Shuckford. 

The  Arabians  believe    that 
this  is  the  Oxur,  a  river,  which 
has  its  rise  in  the  mountains  of 
Imaus,  and  rims  from  east   to 
west,    whence  it  comes   near 
the  country  of  the  Choraruem, 
it  winds  much,  and  seems   to 
return  towards  the  place  of  its 
original,  but  afterwards  it  turns 
back  and  discharges  its  waters 
into  the  Caspian  sea.  This  riv- 
er, which  the  Arabians  call  the 
Gihun  separates  Turkey  from 
Persia.     Others    believe,  that 
Gihon  is  the  western  channel 
made  by   the  Tigris   and  Eu- 
phrates, when  after  their  con* 
flux,  they  separate  again  from 
one  another  to  enter   the    sea. 
This  is  the  opinion  of  Calvin, 
Scaliger,   and  many    moderns; 
but  this  has  no  reason   of  sup- 
port; for  this  union  and  separ- 
ation of  the  two  rivers  are  mod- 
ern and  the  effect  of  art  or  hu- 
man  labor.       Others    on    the 
contrary  maintain  that  Pison  is 
the  western  channel,  tlntt  separ- 
ates the  conflux  of   the    Eu- 
phrates  and  Tigris,  and  that 


GIH 


GIL 


Gihon  is  the  eastern,  which  is 
formed  after  the  union  of  these 
two  rivers.  As  a  proof  of  this 
opinion,  they  assert,  that  the 
land  of  Cush  in  which  the  Gi- 
hon runs,  in  Cissia,  or  the 
Chuzestan.  This  is  the  opin- 
ion of  Bochart,  Huet,  Wells, 
&c.  but  Sanson,  Reland,  and 
Calmet  with  more  plausibility, 
take  the  river  Araxes  to  be 
the  Gihon  of  Moses.  For  this 
rivrr  as  well  as  the  Tigris  and 
Euphrates,  has  its  source  in  the 
mountains  of  Armenia  and  pur- 
suing; a  •  different  course  falls 
into  the  Caspian  sea.  Another 
circumstance  is  worthy  of  no- 
tice, Gihon  in  Hebrew,  denotes 
rapid,  impetuous,  violent,  this 
remarkably  applies  to  the 
Araxes.  Ecclesiasticus  speaks 
of  the  floods  of  Gihon  as  rilling 
all  things.     See  Araxes. 

Gihon,  was  also  the  name 
of  a  fountain  to  the  west  of  Je- 
rusalem, at  which  Solomon 
was  anointed  king,  by  the 
.high-priest  Zadok  and  the 
prophet  Nathan,  1  Kings  i. 
Hezekiah  ordered  the  upper 
channel  of  Gihon  to  be  con- 
veyed to  Jerusalem,  that  the 
enemy,  when  the  city  was  be- 
sieged, might  have  no  advan- 
tage of  these  waters,  2  Chron. 
xxxii,  30;  also  for  the  advan- 
tage of  the  citizens.  This  was 
done  A.  M.  3291,  and  ante 
A.  D.  709. 


GILBOA,  a  mountain  of 
Canaan,  celebrated  for  the 
death  of  Saul  and  his  son  Jona- 
athan,  1  Sam.  xxxi,  1,  2. 
Eusebius  and  St.  Jerome  in- 
form us  that  this  mountain  was 
six  miles  from  Bethsan  or 
Scythopolis.  David  in  that 
mournful  song,  whhh  he  com- 
posed in  honor  of  Saul  and 
Jonathan,  intimates,  that  this 
mountain  was  fruitful.  "Ye 
mountains  of  Gilboa,  let  there 
be  no  dew,  neither  let  there  be 
rain  upon  you,  or  fields  of  offer- 
ings; for  there  the  shield  of  the 
mighty  is  vilely  cast  away," 
&c.  2  Sam.  i,  21.  It  is  60  miles 
north  from  Jerusalem.  Lat. 
32,  22. 

GILEAD,  part  of  that 
ridge  of  mountains,  which 
r-uns  from  Lebanon  southward, 
on  the  east  of  the  Holy  Land  and 
gave  their  name  to  the  whole 
country,  which  lies  on  the 
east  of  the  sea  of  Galilee,  and 
included  the  mountainous  re- 
gion called  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment Trachonitis.  This  range 
of  mountains  separated  the 
land  of  Israel  from  Arabia  Des- 
erta,  and  was  more  than  200 
miles  in  length.  Jer.  xxii,  6; 
seems  to  say,  that  Gil-ad  be- 
gins from  mount  Libanus* 
"Thou  art  Gilead  to  me,  and 
the  head  of  Libanus."  Jacob 
at  his  return  from  Mesopota- 
mia, came  in  six  davs   to  the 


GIL 


GIL 


mountains  of  Gilead,  Gen. 
xxxi,  21,  &x.  where  this  pa- 
triarch, with  Laban  his  father- 
in-law,  raised  a  heap  of  stones 
in  memory  of  their  covenant, 
and  called  it  Galeed,that  is,  an 
heap  of  witnesses,  and  which 
Laban  called  Jegar-sahadutha. 
Erom  this  pile  oi  the  moun- 
tain, the  whole  chain  was  cal- 
led Gilead.  These  mountains 
were  covered  with  a  sort  of 
trees,  abounding  with  gum 
called  the  balm  of  Gilead, 
which  the  Scripture  highly 
commends,  Jer.  viri,  21. 

Gilead,  a  mountain.of  Pal- 
estine wtst  of  Jordan,  Judges 
vii,  3.  This  mountain  is  men- 
tioned by  Brockran,  a  monk, 
in  his  description  of  the  Holy 
Land,  as  being  not  far  from 
Gilboa. 

GILGAL,  a  celebrated 
place,  lying  to  the  west  of  Jor- 
dan, where  the  Israelites  en- 
camped some  time  after  their 
passage  over  this  river,  a  con- 
siderable city  was  afterwards 
built  there,  which  became  fa- 
mous fur  many  events.  Here, 
was  the  first  resting  place  of 
Israel  in  the  land  of  Canaan, 
after  they  had  crossed  the  Jor- 
dan, after  they  had  travelled 
forty  years  in  the  wilderness, 
where  all  their  fathers  had 
died;  here  were  those  stones 
taken  from  the  channel  of  Jor- 
dan, piled  up,  as  a  memorial  @f ' 


their  wonderful  passage,  here 
the  holy  rite  of  circumcision 
was  restored  to  the  church,  as 
a  captive  returns  to  his  friends 
and  family,  after  it  had  been 
taken  from  them  for  forty  years, 
in  the  deserts  of  Arabia;  here 
the  first  feast  of  the  passover 
was  celebrated  with  gladness 
at  their  entrance  into  the  land 
of  promise;  here  was  the  seat 
of  the  ark  for  seven  years,  here 
they  first  tasted  the  fruit  and 
bread  of  Canaan  and  the  man- 
na fails,  and  hence  the  Ca- 
naanites  fled  before  them; 
"their  hearts  melted;  neither 
was  their  spirit  in  them  any 
more;  because  of  the  children 
of  Israel,"  Joshua  chapter  iv, 
and  v.  In  the  fourth  century 
it  was  said,  that  the  twelve 
stones  set  up  here  by  Joshua 
were  to  be  seen.  Gilgal  was 
a  seat  for  religious  people,  per- 
haps a  seminary,  Judg.  ii,  1. 
"A  messenger  of  the  Lord  came 
up  from  Gilgal."  It  was  a 
seat  of  justice,  Samuel  in 
travelling  the  circuit,  went 
yearly  to  Gilgal,  1  Sam.  vii,  16; 
and  here  Saul  was  crowned 
king  of  Israel. 

G  i  l  g  a  l,  a  territory,  or 
kingdom  in  the  land  of  Canaan, 
lying  along  the  Jordan,  and 
the  sea  of  Galilee.  The  kinu: 
of  this  land  was  slain  by  Josh- 
ua. Here  was  a  village  called 
Gulgalis  4Q0  years  after  Christ. 


GIT 


GOG 


GILOH,  a  city   of  Judah. 

Josh,  xv,  5.  Ahitophcl  was  of 
Giloh.  2  Sam.  xv,  12  and  xxiii, 
34.  It  was  near  the  cities  of 
the  Philistines,  and  the  haunt 
of  David   before  he  was  king. 

GILON,  Gelon,  or  Gel- 
won,  a  city  of  Judah,  the  birth 
place  of  Ahitophcl.  2  Sam. 
xxiii,  34. 

GIMZO,  a  city  in  the  south 
of  Judah,  which  the  Philistines 
took  in  the  reign  of  Ahaz,  2 
Chr.  xxviii,  18. 

GIRGASHITES,  or  Ger- 
cesenes,  an  ancient  people  of 
Canaan,  whose  habitation  was 
beyond  the  sea  of  Tiberias, 
where  we  find  some  footsteps 
of  their  name  in  the  city  of 
Gergesa  or  Gergasa,  upon  the 
lake  of  Tiberias.  The  Jew- 
ish doctors  inform  us,  that 
when  Joshua  came  into  the 
land  of  Canaan,  the  Girgash- 
ites  took  a  resolution  rather  to 
forsake  their  country,  than  to 
submit  to  the  Hebrews,  and 
accordingly  retired  into  Africa. 
Nevertheless  it  is  certain  that  a 
good  number  of  them  staid 
behind,  since  Josh,  xxiv,  11, 
informs  us  that  he  subdued 
the  Girgashites,  and  they  whom 
he  overcame  were  certainly  on 
this  bide  Jordan. 

GITTAH-KEPHAH,  a 
town  of  Palestine,  in  the  east- 
ern part  of  Zebulon,  See  Gath- 
epher. 

23 


^  GITTITES,  the  people  of 
Gath    were  so  called,   Joshua 

xiii,  3. 

GNIDUS,  a  promontory  of 
Asia  Minor,  over  against  the 
island  of  Crete. 

Gnidus,  the  name  of  an 
island  between  Crete  and  the 
main  of  Asia.  St.  Paul  in  his 
voyage  to  Italy  passed  Gnidus; 
but  whether  it  was  the  island  or 
promontory,  it  is  not  certain. 

GOB,  a  place  where  two 
battles  were  fought  between 
the  Hebrews  and  Philistines. 
2  Sam.  xxi,  18.  In  Chroni- 
cles, we  read  Gezer  instead  of 
Gob,  1  Chron.  xx,  4.  The 
Septuagint,  in  some  copies, 
read  Nob  instead  of  Gob,  and 
in  others  Gath. 

GOG  and  MAGOG.  We 
unite  these  two  names,  because 
Scripture  generally  joins  them. 
Moses  (Gen.  x,  2)  speaks  of 
Magog,  son  of  Japheth,  but  says 
nothing  of  Gog.  Gog  was 
prince  of  Magog,  according  to 
Ezekiel  xxxviii,  2,  3,  &c; 
xxxix,  1,2,  &c.  Magog  sig- 
nifies the  country,  or  people, 
and  Gog  signifies  the  king  of 
that  country.  The  generality 
of  the  ancients  made  Magog 
the  father  of  the  Scythians,  or 
Tartars,  and  interpreters  dis- 
cover many  traces  of  these 
names  in  the  provinces  of  great 
Tartary,  as  in  those  of  Lug, 
and  Mungugr,  of  Cangigu  Gin- 


GOG 


GOL 


gui;  also  in  the  cities  of  these 
provinces,  as  Gingui  and  Cu- 
gui,  of  Corganguiand  Caigui. 

Others  say  the  Persians  are 
descendants  of  Magog.  Su  idas 
and  Cedroneus  say,  they  are 
still  called  Magog  in  their  own 
country.  We  find  a  people 
there  called  Magusians;  and  a 
description  of  philosophers,  cal- 
led Magi.  Some  have  imag- 
ined, that  the  Goths  were  de- 
scended from  Gog  and  Magog, 
and  that  the  wars  described  by 
Ezekiel,  as  undertaken  by  Gog 
against  the  saints,  are  those  of 
the  Goths,  in  the  fifth  century, 
against  the  Roman  empire. 

Bochart  has  placed  Gog  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Cau- 
casus. He  derives  the  name 
of  this  celebrated  mountain 
from  the  Hebrew  Gogchasaiiy 
the  fortress  of  Gog.  He  shews, 
that  Prometheus,  said  to  be 
chained  to  Caucasus,  by  Jupi- 
ter, is  Gog.  There  is  a  prov- 
ince in  Iberia  south  of  Cauca- 
sus, called  the  Gogarene.  The 
generality  believe,  with  great 
reason,  that  Gog  and  Magog, 
in  Ezekiel  and  the  Revelations, 
are  taken  allegorically,  for  such 
princes  as  were  enemies  to  the 
church.  By  Gog  in  Ezekiel, 
many  understand  Antiochus 
Epiphanes.the  persecutor  of  the 
Jews;  and  Gog  in  the  Revela- 
tions they  suppose  denotes  An- 
tichrist. 

The   Arabians  call  the  de- 


scendants of  Gog  and  Magog, 
Jagiouge  and  Magiouge,  and 
believe  that  they  inhabit  the 
northern  parts  of  Asia,  beyond 
the  Tartars,  and  Sclaves,  or 
Selavonians,  by  the  ancients 
called  Chalybes.  It  is  proba- 
ble that  Gog  and  Magog,  ac- 
cording to  the  idea  of  the  Ara- 
bians, inhabited  formerly  the 
mountains  of  the  Hyperbore- 
ans, and  that  they  were  known 
to  the  ancients  by  this  name. 
This  nation  is  certainly  very  fa- 
mous in  antiquity,  but  we  are 
not  acquainted  with  the  place  of 
their  ancient  abode.  We  do. 
not  doubt,  but  that  they  were 
some  of  the  Scythians,  and  were 
confounded  among  the  great 
and  little  Tartars;  perhaps  a- 
mong  the  Muscovites,  and  oth- 
er northern  people.  Gog  and 
Magog  have  in  a  manner  pas- 
sed into  a  proverb  to  express  a 
multitude  of  powerful,  cruel, 
barbarous,  and  implacable  ene- 
mies to  God  and  his  worship. 
GOLAN,  or  Gaul  an,  a 
famed  city  on  the  east  of  Ti- 
berias, which  pertained  to  Ma- 
nasseh  and  was  given  to  the 
Levites.  It  gave  name  to  the 
territory  of  Golan  or  Gaulani- 
tis,  which  extended  from  Pe- 
rea  on  the  south,  to  Lebanon 
on  the  north,  Deut.  iv,  43; 
Josh,  xxi,  27.  About  300 
years  after  Christ  it  was  a  con- 
siderable place.  It  was  a  city 
of  Refuge.     To  provide  secu- 


GOL 


fat  those,  ivho  undesigned- 

[ipuid  kill  a  man,  the  Lord 
commanded  Moses,  to  appoint 
six  cities  of  refuge \  or  asyla, 

iii.tt  whoever  against  Ins  will 
should  have  spilt  blood,  might 
retire  thither,  and  ha\e  time  to 
prepare  his  defence,  before  the 
judges,  so  that  the  kinsman  of 
the  deceased,  might  not  pur- 
sue and  kill  him.  Exod.  xx, 
13;  Numb,  xxxv,  11 — 13,  &.c. 
Of  these  cities  there  were  three 
on  each  side  Jordan:  On  this 
side  Jordan,  were  Kedesh  of 
.Yaphtali,  Uebron,i\nd  Shcchem, 
beyond  Jordan  were  Bjzer, 
Gclan,-M\d  Ramoih  Guead.  Josh, 
xxi,  7,  8.  They  served  not 
only  for  Hebrews,  but  for  all 
strangers  who  might  dwell  in 
their  country.  The  Rabbins 
confine  the  name  of  stranp;ers, 
to  proselytes;  but  in  -this,  I 
think  they  depart  from  the  de- 
sign of  the  law.  Deut.  xix, 
1 — 8.  The  Lord  also  com- 
manded, that  when  the  He- 
brews should  multiply  and  en- 
large their  country,  they  should 
add  three  other  cities  of  refuge. 
As  this  command  was  never 
fulfilled;,  the  Rabbins  say,  that 
Messiah  will  accomplish  it. 

jSLvntomdes,  from  the  tradi- 
tions of  the  anckms,  assures 
ns,  that  all  the  forty -eight  cit* 
i:s,  appointed  for   the   habita- 

n  oi  the  priests  and  Ltvites, 
were  also  cities  of  refuse;  and 
that  air  the  diSbruice  between 


n  was,  that  the  six  cities 
appointed  by  the  law,  were 
obliged  to  receive  and  lodge 
gratis,  all  who  should  My  to 
them;  whereas  the  other  cities 
might  refuse  to  admit  such  as 
fled  to  them,  and  were  not  o- 
bligcd  to  lodge  them  gratis. 
Besides  the  cities  of  refuge,  ihe 
temple,  and  especially  the  altar 
of  burnt  offering,  enjoyed  the 
privilege  of  an  asylum.  The 
Rabbins  say,  that  generally  the 
altar  was  only  for  the  priests. 
Those,  who  took  sanctuary  in 
the  temple,  were  presently  ex- 
amined by  the  judges,  and  if 
found  guilty  of  murder,  they 
were  forced  away  even  from 
the  altar,  and  put  to  death  with- 
out the  temple.  But  if  found 
innocent,  they  had  a  guard  ap- 
pointed, to  conduct  them  safely 
to  some  city  of  refuge. 

'I  hese  cities  were  to  be  of 
easy  access;  to  have  good  roads 
leading  to  them,  and  bridges, 
wherever  there  was  occasion. 
The  width  of  these  roads  was 
to  be  at  least,  thirty  two  cubits, 
or  forty  eight  feet,  At  cross 
roads  they  set  up  posts  with 
inscriptions,  directing  the  wry 
to  the  city  of  Refuge.  Every 
year  on  the  fifteenth  of  Adar 
(February)  the  magistrates  of 
the  cities,  inspected  the  roads, 
to  see  that  they  were  in  good 
condition.  The  city  was  to  be 
well  supplied  with  water  and 
provisions.     It  was  not  allowed 


&0L 


lb  make  any  weapons  there, 
that  the  relations  of  the  deceas- 
ed might  not  procure  arms,  to 
gratify  their  revenge.  Lastly; 
it  was  necessary,  that  whoever 
took  refuge  there,  should  un- 
derstand a  trade  or  calling',  that 
be  might  not  be  chargeable; 
They  used  to  send  some  pru- 
dent and  moderate  persons  to 
meet  those,  who  were  pursuing 
their  revenge  for  their  relations) 
in  order  to  dispose  them  to 
clemency  and  forgiveness,  and 
to  await  the  decision  of  justice. 
Though  the  mar.  slave?  had 
fled  to  the  city  of  refuge,  \  et 
he  was  not  exempt  from  the 
pursuit  of  justice,  Numb.xxxv, 
12,  an  information  was  lodged 
against  him;  he  was  summon- 
ed before  the  judges,  and  the 
people,  to  prove  that  the  mur- 
der was  truly  casual,  and  in- 
voluntary. If  found  innocent, 
he  dwelt  safely  in  the  city  to 
which  he  had  retired;  if  other- 
wise, he  was  put  to  death,  ac- 
cording to  the  law.  Scripture 
is  not  very  express,  whether 
the  affair  was  under  the  cog- 
nizance of  the  judges  of  the 
place,  where  the  murder  was 
committed,  or  of  the  judges  in 
the  city  of  Refuge  to  which 
the  murderer  had  fled;  and 
commentators  are  not  agreed 
On  this  subject.  Compare 
Deut.  xix,  11,  12;  Josh,  xx, 
A  -5;  Numb,  xlv,  25.  But  it 
appears  to  us,  from  the  pas- 


sage of  Joshua,  that  the  fugi* 
tive  underwent  two  trials,  first 
in  the  city  of  refuge,  where 
the  judges  summarily  examin- 
ed the  affair;  secondly  in  his 
own  city,  where  the  magis- 
trates examined  the  cause  more 
strictly.  If  the  latter  judges 
declared  him  innocent,  they  re- 
conducted him  under  a  guard 
to  the  city  of  refuge. 

To  inspire  the  greater  hor- 
ror, even  of  involuntary  blood- 
shed, the  law  punished  it,  by  a 
kind  of  banishment,  "for  he  was 
obliged  to  dwell  in  this  city, 
without  s;v'mg  out,  till  the  death 
of  the  high  priest. 

There  '|fas  an  asylum  es- 
tablished at  Athens  by  the 
Hcraclida,  in  the  temple  of 
MiseracortVia.  Thesus  also 
buik  one  there,  in  favor  of 
slaves,'  and  of  the  poor,  who 
should  fly  thither,  from  the  op- 
pression of  the  rich.  There 
was  one  in  the  isle  of  Calanria. 
The  temple  of  Apollo  at  Del- 
phos,  of  Juno  at  Samos,  of 
Msculapius  at  Delos,  of  Bac* 
chus  at  Epiiesus,  and  many  oth- 
ers in  Greece,  had  the  privi- 
lege of  being  asyla.  Romulus 
gave  this  right  to  a  wood,  ad- 
joining the  temple  of  Vcjov'is. 
Ovid  speaks  of  a  consecrated 
wood  near  Ostium,  that  enjoy- 
ed the  same  prerogative.  Aus- 
tin observes  that  the  whole 
city  of  Rome  was  an  asylum, 
open  to   all  strangers.       The 


LiOM 


GOS 


,  umber  of  these  privileged 
places  was  grown  so  great  in 
Greece,  under  the  emperor  Ti- 
berias, that  he  was  obliged  to 
recall  their  licences,  and  to 
suppress  them  all;  but  his  de- 
cree was  little  observed  after 
his  death. 

The  right  of  asylum,  passed 
from  the  temple  of  Jerusalem 
to  the  Christian  churches.  The 
emperors  Gracian,  Valeniinian, 
and  Theodosius  the  Great,  con- 
demned to  banishment,  to 
whipping,  to  the  loss  of  hair 
and  beard,  all  who,  on  their 
own  authority,  should  take  a 
man  out  of  a  church,  who  had 
fled  thither  for  refuge,  Hono- 
rius  and  Theodosius  the  young- 
er, ordered,  that  all  such  offen- 
ders should  be  punished,  as  if 
guilty  of  treason.  But  after- 
wards they  were  obliged  to 
diminish  these  privileges,  and 
to  exempt  certain  crimes  from 
the  benefit  of  asylum.  The 
emperor  Justinian  allowed,  that 
they  might  take  from  asylum, 
air  murderers,  adulterers,  rav- 
ishers,  or  stealers  of  Virgins. 
Also,  he  excepts  public  rob- 
bers, and  those,  who  spoil 
fields  in  the  night  time.  The 
right  of  asylum,  subsists  still  in 
Italv,  and  in  some  other  places. 
GOLGOTHA,  a  part  of 
Calvary,  where  Jesus  Christ 
was  crucified. 

GOMORRAH,  one  of  the 


live  principal  cities  of  the  P.. 
tapolis,  that  was  consumed  by 
lire  from  heaven,  as  a  punish- 
ment for  its  abominations,  Gen. 
xix,  24,  25.  Calmet  thinks, 
that  Gomorrah  was  the  most 
northern  of  the  five  cities  of 
Pentapolis,  and  that  they  are  its 
ruins,  which  are  said  to  be  still 
seen  in  the  Dead  Sea,  some- 
where about  Engedi,*re  Sodom. 
GOSHEN,  a  canton  of  E- 
gypt,  which  Joseph  procured 
ior  his  father  and  his  brethren, 
when  they  came  to  dwell  in 
Egypt,  Gen.  xlvii,  6.  It  was 
the  most  fruitful  part  of  the 
country,  and  its  name  seems  to 
be  derived  from  the  Hebrew, 
Geshem,  which  signifies  rain, 
because  this  province,  lying 
very  near  the  Mediterranean, 
enjoyed  rain,  which  is  very  rare 
in  other  cantons,  and  more  es- 
pecially in  Upper  Egypt.  This 
country  lay  between  Palestine 
and  the  city  of  Tanais,and  some 
writers  believe'the  allotment  of 
the  Hebrews,  reached  south- 
ward, as  far  as  the  Nile,  Josh, 
xiii,  3.  Dr.  Wells  thinks  oth- 
erwise, but  supposes,  that  Go- 
shen lay  in  the  eastern  part  of 
Egypt,  not  far  from  the  Red 
Sea.  This  seems  to  be  the 
general  opinion  of  geographers. 
Some  suppose  that  Cairo  is  the 
ancient  Ramescs,  and  that  Go- 
shen lay  near  it.  Lat.  30. 
Shaw. 


GRE 


GRE 


Goshen,  a  tract  of  coun- 
try in  the  land  of  Israel,  lying 
in  the  couth  part  of  Judah,  Josh. 
xv,  41.  It  was  likewise  so 
called  by  the  people  of  Israel, 
after  their  settlement  here  on 
account  of  some  likeness  in 
this  region  to  the  Gobhen, 
where  they  had  lived  in  Egypt. 
That  this  was  distinct  and  sepa- 
rate from  the  Goshen  of  Egypt 
is  evident  from  this,  a  city  in 
Canaan  is  called  Goshen,  the 
country  round  it  is  called  Go- 
shen, or  the  land  of  Goshen, 
but  in  Egypt  we  find  no  city 
of  this  name.  Wells. 

Goshen,  a  city  of  the  a- 
bovenamed  country,  in  the 
tribe  of  Judah. 

GOZ AN,  a  river  mentioned 
in  2  Kings,  in  the  province  of 
Gozan.  The  Rabbins  have  a 
fine  story  of  this  river,  which 
they  call  Sabbaticus,  and  affirm 
that  it  never  runs  on  the  Sab- 
bath; but  on  that  day  is  en- 
compassed with  fire,  to  prevent 
any  one  from  approaching  it. 

Gozan,  a  province  of  Me- 
sopotamia. Pliny  says  it  lay 
towards  the  sources  of  the  Ti- 
gris. Sennacherib,  when  he  had 
subdued  the  ten  tribes,  carried 
them  captive  beyond  the  Eu- 
phrates, to  a  country  bordering 
on  the  river  Gozan.  Other 
writers  place  this  country  in 
Media.     Lat.  41,  30. 

GREECE,  this  word  is  often 
of  a  very  extensive  signification 


in  scripture,  and  comprehends 
all  the  countries  inhabited  by 
the  descendants  of  Javan,  as 
well  in  Greece  as  Ionia  and  Asia 
Minor.  Since  the  time  of  Al- 
exander the  Great,  the  name  of 
Greeks  is  taken  in  a  still  moie 
uncertain  and  enlarged  sense, 
because  the  Greeks  being  mas- 
ters of  Egypt  and  of  Syria,  the 
countries  beyond  the  Euphra- 
tes, and  of  other  provinces;  the 
Jews  were  used  to  call  all  those 
Gentile  people  Greeks,  who 
were  subject  to  the  empire  of 
the  Greeks,  either  in  the  east  or 
west.  For  which  reason  in  the 
booksof  the  Maccabees,  lMacc. 
i,  2;  viii,  18;  2  Maec.  iv,  36;  xi, 
24;  iv,  15.  In  the  gospels,  and 
in  St.  Paul's  writings,  a  Greek 
commonly  signines  a  Gentile. 
Before  God  there  is  no  distinc- 
tion between  Jew  and  Gentile. 
In  the  books  of  the  Old  Tes- 
tament Greece  and  Greeks  are 
mentioned  under  the  name  of 
Javan.  Isaiah  (ixvi,  19)  says, 
that  the  Lord  shall  send  his 
ambassadors  to  several  people, 
and  in  particular  to  Javan,'who 
dwell  in  the  isles  afar  off.  Ezk. 
(xxvii,  13,  19)  tells  us,  that 
Javan,  Tubal,  and  Meshech, 
came  to  the  fairs  at  Tyre.  Dan- 
iel xi,  1,  speaking  of  Darius 
the  son  of  Hystaspes,  or  of 
Xerxes,  that  he  shall  stir  up  all 
against  the  realm  of  Javan. 
Lastly,  Zechariah,  ix,  13,  de- 
clares, that  God  shall  raise  up 


had 


HAD 


the  sons  of  Zion,  against  the 
sons  of  Javan;  which  hints  at 
the  wars  carried  on  by  Macca- 
s  against  Antiochus  Epi- 
phanes  and  the  Greeks,  who 
possessed  the  kingdom  of  Sy- 
ria. In  Daniel  viii,  31;  x,  20, 
Alexander  the  Great  is  descri- 
bed  by  the  name  of  King  of 
Javan. 

GREEKS,  were,  properly, 
the  inhabitants  of  Greece;  but 
this  is  not  the  only  acceptation 
of  the  name  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment. It  seems  to  import,- 1, 
Those  persons  of  Hebrew  de- 
scent who  being"  settled  in  cities 
where  Greek  was  the  natural 
language,  spoke  this  language 
rather  than  their  parental  He- 
brew. They  are  called  Greeks 
to  distinguish  them  from  those 
Jews  who  spoke  Hebrew.  2. 
For  such  persons  who  were 
Greek  settlers  in  the  land  of 
Israel,  or  in  any  of  its  towns. 
GUR,  a  narrow  pass  near  Je- 
rusalem, where  Ahaziah,  king 
of  Judah,  was  mortally  wound- 
ed by  Jehu.     Lat.  32,  25. 

GURBAAL,  a  place 
mentioned  only  in  the 
second  book  of  Chronicles 
xxvi,  7.  The  Septuagint  read 
it  against  the  Arabians,  who 
dwelt  at  Petra. 

HABOR.or  Chabor,is  sup- 
posed to  be  the  mountainous 
country,  lying  between  Media 
and  Syria.     This  was  one  of 


the  districts  into  which  the  Is- 
raelites were  carried  captive  by 
Shalmaneser,  king  of  Assyria. 
Josh,  xvii,  6. 

Habor,  a  city  on  the  river 
Gozan;  it  has  the  reputation  of 
being  very  ancient,  and  is  sup- 
posed to  have  been  a  city  of 
Media.  2  Kings  xvii  and  xviii 
chapters;  1  Chron.  v,  26.  Lat. 
33,  40. 

HACHILAH,  a  celebrated 
hill  in  the  south  part  of  Judea, 
southerly  from  Jeshimon,  which 
was  ten  miles  south  from  Jeri- 
cho. Here  David  for  a  season 
hid  himself  from  Saul;  here 
Jonathan  the  Maccabee,  built 
the  almost  impregnable  fortress 
of  Massada,  whose  garrison 
murdered  themselves,  after  the 
taking  of  Jerusalem  by  Titus. 
Lat.  31,14. 

HAD  AD,  a  city  of  Benja- 
min.    Lat.  31,38. 

HADAD-RIMMON,  or 
Adad-rimmon,  otherwise 
Maximianopolis.  See  Adad- 
rimmon.  This  city  lay  in  the 
valley  of  Megiddo. 

HADASHA,  a  town  in  Ju- 
dah, Josh,  xv,  37.  The  rab- 
bins say  that  this  was  one  of 
the  smallest  towns  in  Judah,. 
having  only  fiftv  houses. 

HADRACH,  a  city  men- 
tioned by  the  prophet  Zecha- 
riah,  ix,  1.  This  place  has 
been  remarkably  harrassed  in 
successive  ages,  by  the  Greeks, 


HAM 


MAM 


by  the  Romans,  by  the  Sara- 
cens, Turks,  and  European 
crusades. 

HAGARENEr>,  a  people 
descended  from  Abraham  by 
Hagar.  They  constituted  vt 
tribe  of  the  Arabians,  who  are 
supposed  to  have  settled  round 
mount  Sinai.  The  Arabians, 
generally,  to  this  day  pride 
themselves  on  being  descended 
from  Isiimael.     Dr.  Wells. 

HAI,  or  A i,  a  city  a  little 
east  from  Bethel.  Jerome  says 
that  in  his  time  the  ruins  were 
scarcely  visible;  but  the  place 
was  still  known.  It  was  twelve 
miles  from  Jerusalem,  Gen. 
xii,  8. 

HALAH,  a  country  beyond 
the  Euphrates  in  the  north  of 
Assyria,  whither  the  king  of 
Assyria  transported  the  Israel- 
ites of  the  ten  tribes.  2  Kings 
xvii,  6. 

HALHUL,  a  city  in  the 
tribe  of  Jndah,  Josh. xv,  58,  was 
probably  near  to  Hebron.  In 
the  fourth  century,  a  village  in 
this  vicinity  was  called  Alul. 

HALIC  ARNASSUS,  a  city 
of  Asia  Minor.  The  country 
of  Herodotus  and  Dionysius, 
the  historians.  Lat.  56,  15. 
Sanson. 

HAMATH,  the  land  of  Ha- 
math  is  often  mentioned  in 
Scripture;  its  chief  city  had  the 
same  name.  Indeed  it  seems 
there     were     several     places 


calied  Ha  math.  The  kingdot© 
of  Hamath  lay  on  the  north  of  - 
.Canaan,  extending  from  the 
Mediterranean  west,  to  Damas- 
cus, east.  The  extent  of  Ca- 
naan is  often  expressed,  not 
only,  as  reaching  from  Dan  to 
Beersheba;  but  from  the  enter- 
ing in  of  Hamath  to  the  river 
of  Egypt. 

Hamath,  capital  of  the  a- 
bove  kingdom;  it  was  situ- 
ated, not  far  from  Tadmor. 
Solomon  carried  his  arms  a- 
gainst  this  city.  This  town 
was  sometimes  called  Hamath 
Zobah. 

Hamath,  a  country  within 
the  land  of  Israel,  where  Solo- 
mon built  store  cities.  This 
country  might  probably  lie 
about  Hammath  Dor,  in  Gali- 
lee, where  the  lands  were  re- 
markably fertile. 

Hamath,  a  city  in  the  tribe 
of  Naphtali,  near  the  entrance 
into  Ccelo  Syria. 

Hamath  the  Great,  a 
city  in  the  north  part  of  Syria, 
Amos  vi,  2.  Jerome  says  this 
town  was  the  same  as  Antioch. 

HAMMON,  a  city  of  Ash- 
er,  Josh,  xix,  28.  It  is  not 
known  whether  this  be  the 
same  with  the  city  of  the 
same  nar«e,  said  to  be  in  Naph- 
tali.    I  Chr.  vi,  76. 

HAMONAH,  a  city  where 
Ezekiel  xxxix,  10,  foretold 
that  Gog  and  his  people  should 


HAH 


HAPv 


be  buried.  We  know  of  no 
town  of  t! lis  name  in  Palestine. 
Hamonah  signifies  multitude, 
and  the  prophet  intended  to 
show  that  the  slaughter  or' 
Gog's  people  would  be  so 
great,  that  the  place  of  their 
burial  might  be  called  multi- 
tude' the  Septuagint  call  it  ma- 
riy  men.  There  Antichrist  or 
Gog  "will  come  to  his  end, 
and  none  will  help  him."  See 
Amarus,  and  Armageddon. 

HAMOTH-DOR,  a  city 
belonging  to  the  Levites  in  the 
tribe  of  Naphtali.  It  is  the 
same  perhaps  as  Hamath,  be- 
longing to  the  same  tribe,  Josh, 
xix,  35,  which  is  believed  by 
some  to  be  Tiberias.  See  Ha- 
math.    Lat.  32,  54. 

HANANEEL,  a  town  near 
Jerusalem,  so  called,  Zech.  xiv, 
10,  l<c. 

HANATHON,  a  town  in 
the  tribe  of  Zobulon.  Josh,  xix, 
14. 

HANES,  a  town  mentioned 
in  Isaiah  xxx,  4,  which  St. 
Jerome  thinks  lay  upon  the 
frontiers  of  Ethiopia.  The 
Chaldee,  anc(  our  modern  in- 
terpreters think,  that  Hanes  is 
put  for  Taphnau,  that  is  to  say 
Daphnas,  Pelusiee,  near  Dami- 
ctta. 

HAPHARAIM,  a  city  of 
the  tribe  of  Issachar,  Joshua 
xix,  19. 

HARA,  a  city,  or  canton  of 
24 


Assyria,  where  the  Israelites, 
of  the  ten  tribes,  were  trans- 
planted by  Tiglath-pilescr,  1 
Chron.  v,  26. 

HARAN,  otherwise  Char- 
rae  in  Mesopotamia,  a  city 
celebrated  for  having  been  the 
place  where  Abraham  first  re- 
treated, after  he  left  Ur,  Gen. 
xi,  31,  32;  and  where  Terah, 
Abraham's  father  died.  Here 
Jacob  retired  to  Laban,  from 
the  indignation  of  his  brother, 
id.  xxvii,  45  and  xxviii,  10, 
&c.  The  people  here,  carried 
on  a  traffic  with  the  Tyrians, 
Ezek.  xxvii,  23.  Lastly,  at 
Huran  and  Charrae,  in  Meso- 
potamia, Crassus  the  Roman 
general  was  defeated,  and  kil- 
led by  the  Parthians.  Haran 
was  situated  between  the  Eu- 
phrates, and  the  river  Cheban, 
at  a  good  distance  from  the 
place  where  these  rivers  join. 
Gen.  xxxi,  40;  Jacob  says  to 
Laban,  "in  the  day  the  drought 
consumed  me  and  the  frost  by 
night."  Another  text  more 
explicitly  expresses  i\\\s  peculi- 
arity of  climate,  Jer.  xxxvi, 
30.  "Jehoiakim  king  of  Judah, 
his  body  shall  be  cast  out  in 
the  day  to  the  heat,  and  in  the 
night  to  the  frost."  The  night 
succeeding  a  hot  day  produced 
a  chilling  frost.  "In  travelling 
in  Mesopotamia,  says  Colonel 
Campbell,  it  was  on  the  fifth 
or  sixth  day  after  our  leaving 


HAR 


HAV 


Aleppo,  that  we  got  to  the 
city  of  Diabeker,  the  capital  of 
the  province  of  the  same  name, 
having  passed  over  an  extent 
of  3  or  400  miles,  most  of  it 
blessed  with  the  greatest  fer- 
tility, producing  in  the  few 
cultivated  parts  grain,  fruits 
of  all  kinds,  and  silk  in  great 
variety,  and  abounding  in  as 
rich  pastures,  as  I  ever  beheld, 
covered  with  numerous  flocks 
and  herds.  The  air  was  charm- 
ingly temperate  in  the  day 
time;  but  extremely  cold  in 
the  night.  As  we  proceeded 
towards  Bagdad  the  air  be- 
came warmer,  but  at  night  I 
found  the  weather  as  piercingly 
cold,  as  it  was  distressfully  hot 
in. the  day  time."  Such  ac- 
counts confirm  the  sacred  his- 
tory. In  the  process  of  this 
"work  very  many  such  facts 
ivill  occur  to  establish  the 
truth  of  those  records,on  which 
we  rest  our  hopes  of  eternal 
life. 

HARETH,  a  forest  in  the 
tribe  of  Judah,  to  which,  David 
fled  to  avoid  the  persecution 
of  Saul,  1  Sam.  xxii,  5.  Lat. 
31,  12. 

HAROD,  the  well  or  foun- 
tain of  Harod,  Judg.  vii,  1; 
Was  in  the  great  plain  of  Jez- 
reel  at  the  foot  of  mount  Gil- 
boa. 

HAROSHETH,  of  the  Gen- 
tiles, a  city  situated   upon  the 


lake  Semechon,  the  place 
where  Sisera  lived,  who  com- 
manded the  troops  of  Jabin 
king  of  Hazor,  Judg.  iv,  2. 
Many  Gentiles  resided  in  the 
vicinky  of  this  place. 

HAURAN,  Ezekiel  xlvii, 
16;  speaks  of  Hauran  as  a  can- 
ton situated  to  the  north  east 
of  the  Holy  Land.  Some  sup- 
pose it  to  be  the  same  as  Itu- 
rea.  St.  Luke  iii,  1,  says  that 
Philip,  son  of  Herod,  was 
master  of  Iturea  and  the  Tra- 
chonitis,  Josephussays,  that  he 
possessed  Batanea,  Trachon* 
itis,  and  Auranitis:  where  it  is 
observable,  that  the  Auranitis 
and  Iturea  are  put  one  for  the 
other.  St.  Jerome  says,  that 
Hauran  is  a  city  in  the  wilder- 
ness  belonging  to  the  country 
south  of  Damascus.  An  Ara- 
bian Geographer  places  the 
land  of  Hauran  or  Auran  to 
the  south  of  Damascus,  and 
Abulfeda  says,  Bozra  is  the 
capital  of  the  country  of 
Hauran:  Golius  in  his  notes 
upon  Abulpharga,  says,  that 
the  Syrians  and  Arabians  call 
that  part  of  the  land  Hauran, 
where  Tiberias,  on  the  sea  of 
Galilee  is  situated.  William 
of  Tyre  calls  it  the  Auranitis. 
It  is  ceitain  that  the  Auranitis 
was  beyond  Jordan. 

HAVILAH,  oi-Chavilah, 
is  supposed  by  Dr.  Wells  to 
lie  on  the  Persian  gulf,   north 


HAZ 


MAZ 


of  Sabta.  This  he  confirms 
from  the  people  here  men- 
tioned by  old  writers,  viz.  the 
Chaulotue,  or  Chablasii,  or 
Chaulasii,  which  he  supposes 
are  manifestly  derived  from 
Chavilah.  Calmet  also,  thinks, 
that  Havilah  was  in  the  region 
where  the  Tigris  and  Euphra- 
tes reunite  and  pour  their 
waters  into  the  Persian  gulf. 
But  the  Chaldee  paraphrase 
and  others  underst  >nd  India. 
The  paraphrast  Jonathan  says, 
the  name  of  the  first  river  is 
Phison,  which  environs  the 
whole  land  of  India.  He 
probably  means  the  country 
round  the  head  of  the  Indus, 
and  not  Hindostan. 

HAVOTH  JAIR,  cabins  or 
huts  of  the  Arabians  placed  in 
a  circle,  as  the  Hottentots,  and 
some  tribes  of  America,  place 
their  huts,  were  so  called. 
They  were  in  the  Batanea, 
east  of  Jordan,  in  the  land  of 
Gilcad,  and  half  tribe  of  Ma- 
nasseh. 

HAZER  GADDA,  a  city 
of  Palestine  lying  in  the  south 
part  of  Judah. 

HAZEROTH,  Hazerim, 
Hazor,  Arezothaim,  ail  these 
names  are  applied  to  the  same 
places,  where  the  Hebrews  en- 
camped in  their  journey 
through  the  wilderness,  Numb. 
xi,  35.  Also  a  town  in  Ara- 
bia Petrea.     Probably  this  was 


the  dwelling  of  the  Hivites,  be- 
fore they  were  driven  away  by 
the  Caphtorim,  who  settled 
in  Palestine. 

HAZEZON-AAMAR,  this 
is  the  same  as  Engedi,  upon 
the  western  coast  of  the  Dead 
sea,  Gen.  xiv,  7. 

HAZOR,  a  city  in  the  tribe 
of  Benjamin,  2  Esdras  xi,  33* 

Hazor,  a  oity  in  the  tribe 
of  Judah,  Josh.  xv,23.  It  seems 
by  the  words  in  Joshua  there 
were  three  cities  of  this  name 
in  this  tribe,  and  this  is  the 
opinion  of  the  learned  Sanson. 

Hazor,  otherwise  Hezront 
was  also  the  name  of  a  city  in 
the  same  tribe,  Josh,  xv,  25, 
forty  miles  south-west  from 
Jerusalem,  and  twelve  from 
A  .kdon. 

Hazor,  a  town  in  Arabia, 
Jeremiah  xhx,  28,  33,  "Hazor 
shall  be  a  dwelling  place  for 
dragons,  a  desolation  forever; 
no  man  shall  abide  theIe.,, 
This  was  once  a  celebrated 
city,  and  the  capital  of  a  king- 
dom. Probabiy  the  people, 
who  settled  here,  might  be  a 
colony  from  Hazor  in  Judea. 
This  town  was  taken  and 
demolished  by  the  Chaldeans; 
it  is  now  blotted  from  exist- 
ence. 

Hazor,  the  name  of  a  city 
in   the  tribe  of  Naphtali,  and 
metropolis  of  all  the  kings  of 
Philistia,  Josh,  xix,  36. 


HEB 


HEB 


Hazor,  built  by  Solomon,  1 
Kings,  ix,  15.  It  is  no  contra- 
diction to  say,  that  it  was  Ha- 
zor of  Naphtali,  which  Solo- 
mon rebuilt  or  fortified* 

HEBREWS,  so  Abraham, 
Isaac,  Jacob  and  their  descend- 
ants are  called.     See  Israelites. 

HEBRON,  or  Chebron, 
probably  the  most  ancient  city 
in  the  world,  for  it  was  built 
seven  years  before  Zoan,  or 
according  to  the  LXX,  Tanis, 
the  capital  of  Lower  Egypt, 
Numbers  xiii,  22. 

Hebron  was  situated  upon 
an  eminence,  twenty  miles 
south  of  Jerusalem  and  twenty 
miles  north  from  Beersheba. 
Abraham,  Sarah,  and  Isaac 
were  buried  near  Hebron,  in 
the  cave  of  Machpelah,  or  the 
double  cave,  whiclv  Abraham 
bought  of  Ephron,  Gen.  xxiii, 
7,  8,  9.  Near  to  this  place 
was  the  oak.  or  turpentine  tree, 
under  which  Abram  received 
three  angels,  IcL  18.  Euse- 
bius,  Sozomen,  and  several 
other  ancients,  speak  of  the 
veneration,  which  not  only 
Christians,  but  the  very  heath- 
ens themselves  had  for  this 
turpentine  tree. 

Hebron  is  still  in  being,  but 
very  much  fallen  from  its  an- 
cient lustre.  It  is  now  only  a 
village,  standing  partly  on  a 
plain  and  partly  on  a  mountain, 
from  which  is  a  pleasant  pros- 


pect of  the  plain  of  Mamre, 
planted  with  vineyards.  Here 
are  now  the  ruins  of  a  church, 
built  by  Constantine,  and 
another  built  by  Helena,  sup- 
posed to  be  on  the  spot,  where 
Abraham  and  Sarah  were 
buried.  It  is  now  a  mosque, 
much  respected  by  Christians 
and  Mahometans.  Hebron  is 
now  the  capital  of  a  district, 
and  twenty-two  miles  from 
Jerusalem. 

Mr.  Volney  says,  the  Arabs 
have  no  other  name  for  this 
village  than  El-Kalil.  the  well 
beloved^  which  is  the  name  they 
usually  apply  to  Abraham. 
The  country  adjacent  to  He- 
bron is  an  oblong  hollow,  five 
or  six  leagues  in  length,  and 
not  disagreeably  varied  by 
rocky  hillocks,  groves  of  fir 
trees,  stunted  oaks,  and  a  few 
plantations  of  vines  and  olive 
trees.  These  vineyards  are 
not  cultivated  with  a  view  io 
make  wine,  the  inhabitants  be- 
ing'such  zealous  Mahometans, 
as  not  to  permit  any  Christians 
to  live  among  them.  They 
are  only  of  use  to  procure 
dried  raisins,  though  the  grapes 
are  of  an  excellent  kind.  The 
peasants  of  Hebron  likewise 
cultivate  cotton,  which  is  spun 
by  their  wives,  and  sold  at  Je- 
rusalem and  Gaza.  They  have 
here  a  manufactory  of  soap,  and 
another  of  glass,  the  only  one 


HEB 

in  Syria.  They  also  make  rings 
and  bracelets,  and  otlier  trink- 
,  which  are  sent  abroad  to 
market,  even  to  Constantinople. 
This  is  the  most  powerful  vil- 
lage in  the  country,  and  can 
arm  eight  or  nine  hundred  men. 
They  are  of  an  opposite  faction 
and  perpetual  enemies  of  the 
people  at  Bethlehem.  This 
discord  has  produced  unceasing 
ci  vil  war.  The  people  of  differ- 
ent villages  incessantly  make 
inroads  on  each  other's  lands, 
destroying  the  grain  and  fruit 
trees,  and  carrying  off  sheep, 
goats,  and  camels.  The  Turks, 
in  whose  hands  is  the  nominal 
government,  are  negligent  in 
repressing  these  hostilities,  their 
own  authority  being  precari- 
ous. The  Bedoween  Arabs, 
who  encamp  on  the  plains,  are 
in  a  state  of  warfare  with  the 
Turks.  The  peasants  avail 
themselves  of  this  circumstance 
to  resist  law  and  to  do  mischief. 
Hence  arises  anarchy  and  out- 
rages worse  than  despotism. 
Such  is  the  dreadful  state  of 
Hebron.  A  particular  account 
of  this  interesting  place  by  D' 
Arvieux  may  be  entertaining, 
"Quitting  Bethlehem, n  saith 
he,  fckfor  Hebron  we  entered  on 
a  difficult  and  rugged  road, 
bordered  on  each  side  with 
vineyards,  having  on  the  right 
hand  a  village  called  Boticalli, 
where  no  Turk  dares   reside. 


HEB 

The  only  inhabitants  arc 
Greeks,  who  cultivate  the 
neighboring  lands,  which  arc 
good  and  fertile,  by  which  they 
are  wealthy. 

After  a  journey  of  some 
miles  we  arrived  at  a  monas- 
tery of  Greeks,  dedicated  to 
St.  George,  whose  chains  and 
fetters  perform  miracles  of  heal- 
ing. About  a  league  from  the 
monastery,  we  saw  the  sealed 
fountain  whose  waters  Solomon 
conducted  to  the  temple  of  Je- 
rusalem, by  means  of  a  canal  of 
stone  very  solidly  built,  which 
still  conveys  them  thither.  A 
hundred  paces  eastward  of  this 
sealed  fountain,  is  a  reservoir 
and  sources  of  water,  whose 
streams  increase  those  which 
flow  to  Jerusalem.  At  length 
we  arrived  at  the  garden  en- 
closed* but  enclosed  less  by 
labor  than  by  nature,  the  hills 
south  and  north  of  it  being 
high  and  almost  perpendicular. 
They  are  covered  with  aromatic 
plants. 

We  left  the  main  road  about 
a  league  from  Hebron,  and 
turned  to  the  left  in  order  to 
see  the  valley  of  Mamre,  where 
Abram  dwelt.  The  founda- 
tions, and  some  very  thick 
walls  of  hewn  stone,  are  all  that 
remain  of  the  church,  built  here 
by  the  bishop  of  Jerusalem  in 
the  days  of  Constanfine. 

In  approaching  Hebron,  we 


HE£ 


HEB 


saw  the  well  of  Jacob,  and  a 
vineyard,  called  the  field  of 
Damascus,  of  the  earth  of 
which  Adam  is  reported  to 
have  been  made.  A  grotto  is 
also  shewn  here,  where  Adam 
and  Eve  resided  after  their  ex- 
pulsion from  paradise;  and 
where  they  wept  over  Abel 
whom  Cain  slew  at  the  end  of 
this  valley.  The  sepulchre  of 
Caleb  is  shewn  on  a  little  hill. 
The  city  of  Hebron  is  seven 
leagues  from  Jerusalem  south- 
ward. It  may  boast  of  being: 
one  01  the  most  ancient  cities 
in  the  world.  It  formerly  stood 
on  a  hill  to  the  north;  but  has 
insensibly  changed  its  site  in 
the  course  of  its  various  re- 
buildings.  A  castle  now  stands 
on  its  highest  elevation;  and 
this  is  its  only  defence.  Its 
inhabitants  are  Mahometans, 
and  lay  heavy  contributions  on 
the  few  Jews,  whom  they  not 
without  difficulty  suffer  to  in- 
habit there.  The  Turks  have 
so  great  a  veneration  for  this 
city,  that-  they  admit  into  it 
neither  wine  nor  brandy. 
Water  only  is  drank  in  it. 

St.  Helena  built  a  magnifi- 
cent church  at  ihe  double  cave, 
(on  Machpelah)  where  the 
patriarchs  were  interred,  and 
founded  a  bishopric  with  a  con- 
siderable revenue.  There  is  at 
the  entry  a  great  kitchen, 
where  a  soup  made  of  pulse 


and  herbs  is  daily  distributed, 
by  the  dervises  to  all  comers 
who  need  it;  in  memory  it  is 
said  of  what  passed  between 
Jacob  and  Esau.  We  partook 
of  it;  but  we  could  not  enter 
into  this  handsome  church,  now 
changed  into  a  mosque:  ad- 
mission being,  therefore,  for- 
bidden to  all  but  Mussulmans. 

The  entry  of  the  double  cav- 
ern is  inside  the  church,  and  of 
course  it  is  inaccessible  to  both 
Christians  and  Jews.  Neither 
do  the  Turks  themselves  dare 
to  enter  it,  for  fear  of  losing 
their  sight,  which  they  say  has 
happened  to  some,  who  were 
over  curious.  By  means  of  an 
orifice,  however,  the  first  cav- 
ern may  be  inspected,  m  some 
degree  by  the  help  of  torches. 
At  this  orifice,  both  Christians 
and  Jews  address  their  prayers. 
The  religious  and  pilgrims 
burn  lamps  and  tapers  before 
it,  which  smoke  it  sufficiently. 

The  situation  of  this  city  is 
every  way  agreeable,  and  its 
district  is  very  fertile.  It  a- 
bouuds  in  vineyards,  whose 
produce  is  excellent.  The 
grapes  are  carried  to  Jerusalem, 
and  make  good  wine.  The 
country  people  make  raisins  of 
them,  which  are  as  yellow  as 
gold,  and  of  exquisite  flavor. 
Generally  speaking,  the  fruits 
have  all  the  perfection,  that 
can  be  desired.     The  city  and 


I1EB 


IIEL 


its  environs  appertain  to  the 
government  of  Jerusalem, 
which  maintains  a  Soubachi 
and  a  lew  soldiers  to  enforce 
the  payment  of  its  duties;  but 
the  populace  is  so  mutinous, 
that  they  rarely  pay  without 
force,  and  commonly  a  rein- 
forcement from  Jerusalem  is 
necessary.  The  peoph  are 
brave,  and  when  in  revolt  ex- 
tend the  incursions,  as  far  as 
Bethlehem,  and  make  amends 
by  their  pillage  for  what  is 
exacted  from  them.  They  are 
so  well  acquainted  with  the 
windings  of  the  mountains,  and 
know  so  well  how  to  post  them- 
selves to  advantage,  that  they 
close  all  the  passages,  and  ex- 
clude every  assistance  from 
reaching  the  Soubachi. 

In  going  out  of  Hebron  we 
passed  through  the  village  of 
the  holy  Virgin,  so  called,  be- 
cause tradition,  says  that  here 
she  rested,  when  fleeing  to 
Egypt  to  escape  the  wrath  of. 
Herod. 

The  Turks  dare  not  dwell 
here,  believing  that  they  could 
not  live  a  week,  if  they  attempt- 
ed it.  The  Gi-eeks  have  a 
church  in  this,  village.  This 
mutinous  character  of  the  peo- 
ple one  would  think  was  but  a 
continuation  of  their  ancient 
disposition;  which  might  ren- 
der them  fit  instruments  for 
serving   David   against    Saul; 


and  Absalom  against  David- 
The  advantage  they  possess  in 
their  knowledge  of  the  passes, 
&c.  accounts  also  for  the  pro- 
tracted resistance  which  David 
made  to  Saul,  and  the  necessi- 
ty of  that  king's  employing  a 
considerable  force  in  order  to 
dislodge  his  adversary;  Da- 
vid was  so  well  aware  of  this 
advantage  of  sta  ion,  that  when 
Absalom  had  possessed  him- 
self of  Hebron,  he  did  not 
think  of  attacking  him  there, 
but  fled  in  all  haste  from  Jeru- 
salem northward.  Lat.  31,21. 
HEL  VM,  a  town  on  the 
east  of  Jordan,  where  in  a  bat- 
tle between  David  and  the 
Ammonites,and  their  allies, Da- 
vid was  victorious.  The  place 
is  now  called  Alamatha. 

HELBAH,  a  city  in  the 
tribe  of  Asher,  Judg.  i,  31; 
from  which  he  would  not,  or 
could  not  drive  out  the  Ca- 
naairtes. 

HELBON,  a  place  near  to 
Damascus,  famous  for  its  wine, 
perhaps  the  same  which  is  now 
Aleppo;  Ezek.  xxvii.  The 
Arabs  now  call  Aleppo,  Ha- 
lab.  From  this  place  the  an- 
cient  kings  of  Persia  had  their 
wine  for  their  own  tables.  The 
city  now  has  about  250,000 
inhabitants;  the  Mahometans 
have  120  mosques  or  houses 
for  public  worship,  and  three 
colleges.    Here  are  also  numer- 


BEL 


HEL 


Otis  Christians  of  all  the  de- 
nominations,which  are  found  in 
these  countries.  Of  the  Greek 
church  are  15  or  16,000,  of 
the  Armenians  12,000,  of  the 
Nestorian  10,000,  of  the  Ma- 
ronite  1,200:  here  are  also 
three  churches  of  the  Roman 
Catholics.  Next  to  Constan- 
tinople and  Cairo,  this  is  the 
most  important  city  of  the 
Turkish  empire,  and  is  the 
capital  of  all  Syria.  It  is  175 
miles  N.  E.  from  Damascus. 
Lat.  36,  12.    Long.  37,  40. 

HELEPH,  a  city  in  the 
tribe  of  Naphtali,  Josh,  xix,  33; 
on  his  frontier  to  the  north,  not 
far  from  Sidon. 

HELIOPOLIS,  that  is  to 
say,  the  city  of  the  sun,  is  called 
On,  in  the  Hebrew,  Gen.  xli, 
43;  and  xlvi,  20;  but  termed 
Heliopolis,  both  by  the  Septu- 
agint  and  Vulgate.  Potiphar, 
who  married  his  daughter  Ase- 
neth  to  Joseph,  was  priest  of 
Heliopolis.  This  city  was 
situated  upon  the  Nile,  half  a 
day's  journey  from  Babylon  in 
Egypt. 

Besides  the  city  of  Heliopo- 
lis, called  On  in  Hebrew,  there 
was  another  in  Egypt,  situated 
between  Cairo,  the  town  of 
Copte,  and  the  Red  Sea.  Noth- 
ing remains  of  this  city  but  an 
obelisk,  yet  standing  of  consid- 
erable size,  and  nearly  seventy 
feet   in  heiq;ht,   covered   with 


hieroglyphics.  Several  others 
which  stood  here  have  been 
carried  to  Rome  and  Constan- 
tinople. A  sycamore  tree  near 
this  place  has  been  famous  for 
sheltering  the  holy  family  while 
in  Egypt. 

Heliopolis,  a  city  of  Coelo 
Syria,  supposed  to  have  been 
referred  to,  Amos  i,  5.  "I  will 
cut  off  the  inhabitants  from  the 
plain  of  Aven,  or  the  idol's 
camp,  or  the  valley  of  iniquity. 
By  Bickathaven,  the  prophet  "is 
supposed  to  mean  that  place, 
which  is  now  called  Baalbeck, 
that  is  the  valley  of  Baal.  The 
prophet  declared,  that  the  in- 
habitants should  be  cut  off; 
vve  shall  see  that  this  has  been 
gradually  verified.  The  town 
stood  at  the  foot  of  Anti-Liba- 
nus.  Innumerable  remains  of 
the  most  opulent  ruins  are 
there  to  be  seen.  Many  of  the 
marble  columns  are  fifteen  feet 
eight  inches  in  circumference, 
and  forty  four  feet  high;  some, 
including  their  entabulatures, 
are  seventy-two  feet  high. 
These  ruins  are  the  most  beau- 
tiful and  the  best  preserved  of 
any  in  Asia.  The  ground  is 
strewed  with  broken  columns, 
mutilated  capitals,  the  remains 
of  pilasters,  entabulatures,  and 
cornices,  around  ruined  courts, 
edifices  and  temples,  which 
display  all  the  ornaments  of  the 
richest  architecture,  are  adorn- 


HEL 


HEN 


ed  with  the  richest  workman- 
ship of  the  sculpture.  The 
garlands,  the  large  foliage  of 
the  capitals,  the  sculpture  of 
the  wild  plants,  with  which 
these  ruins  are  covered,  aston- 
ish the  beholder.  These  marble 
ruins  also  contain  tablets  in  the 
form  of  lozenges,  on  which  are 
represented  Jupiter,  seated  on 
his  eagle;  Leda  caressed  by  the 
swan;  Diana  with  her  bow  and 
crescent,  with  the  busts  of  em- 
perors or  empresses.  Anoth- 
er circumstance,  which  appears 
more  surprising,  is  the  enor- 
mous stones,  which  compose 
these  mouldering  walls.  Some 
of  them  are  from  twenty-eight 
to  thirty-five  feet  long,  and  nine 
feet  thick.  In  one  place  three 
stones  extend  one  hundred  and 
seventy-five  feet  and  a  half, 
one  being  fifty-eight  feet  and 
seven  inches,  the  second  fifty- 
eight  feet  and  eleven  inches, 
and  the  third  exactly  fifty-eight 
feet  long,  each  of  these  are 
twelve  feet  thick;  they  are  white 
marble.  At  a  quarry,  near 
these  ruins,  is  a  stone,  hewn  on 
three  sides,  which  is  sixty-nine 
feet  and  two  inches  long,  twelve 
feet  and  ten  inches  broad,  and 
thirteen  feet  three  inches  thick. 
By  what  means  did  the  ancients 
move  these  huge  and  ponder- 
ous masses?  The  ruins  of  a 
temple,  dedicated  to  the  Sun, 
25 


is  the  most  surprising  object 
among  the  remains  of  this 
once  populous  and  splendid 
city.  This  city  lay  in  the  way 
from  Tyre  to  Tadmor,  and 
doubtless  had  a  liberal  share 
in  the  opulent  traffic  of  those 
populous  cities.  The  state  of 
Balbec  is  deplorable;  under  the 
malignant  influence  of  the 
Turkish  government,  which 
like  all  despotisms,  is  hostile  to 
commerce,  it  has  become  poor, 
wretched,  and  forsaken.  In 
1751,  the  population  was  esti- 
mated at  5,000,  in  1784,  the  in- 
habitants were  reduced  to  less 
than  twelve  hundred.  In  1759 
an  earthquake  produced  im- 
mense havoc  and  ruin.  The 
people,  who  remain  are  discour- 
aged and  idle,  cultivating  a 
little  cotton,  maize,  and  water- 
melons for  their  support.  Bal- 
bec is  110  miles  south  of  Alep- 
po, and  50  N.  N.  W.  from 
Damascus.  Lat.  34.  Long. 
36,  45.  E. 

HELKATH,  a  city  in  the 
tribe  of  Asher,  which  was  giv- 
en to  Gershom's  family,  Josh, 
xxi,  31. 

HEMONA,  a  village  of 
Palestine  in  the  tribe  of  Benja- 
min. 

HENA,  a  city  near  the  Eu- 
phrates, between  Mesopotamia 
and  Arabia,  2  Kings  xviii,  34. 
Lat.  33,  15.     Sanson* 


HEIi 


HES 


HEPHA,  a  maritime  town 
of  Palestine,  lying  at  the  foot 
of  mount  Carmel. 

HE  RES,  a  mountain  of  Pal- 
estine in  the  tribe  of  Dan. 

HERMON,  a  mountain 
which  the  Sidonians  call  Sirion, 
and  the  Ammonites  Shenir.  It 
is  also  called  Sion,  or  rather 
one  of  its  lower  summits  was 
so  called,  Deut.  ix,  10.  St. 
Jerome  says,  that  this  mountain 
lies  higher  than  Paneas,  and 
that  in  summer  there  was  snow 
carried  thence  to  Tyre,  that 
the  people  might  drink  there 
in  fresco.  It  was  doubtless  a 
southern  spur  of  Lebanon. 
The  Chaldee  and  Samaritan 
interpreters  call  it  the  mountain 
of  snow. 

Hermon,  a  mountain  of 
Canaan  on  the  west  side  of 
Jordan,  not  far  from  mount 
Tabor.  David  is  supposed  to 
refer  to  this  Hermon^  "Tabor 
and  Hermon  shall  rejoice  in 
thy  name."  "As  the  dew  of 
Hermon,  and  as  the  dew  that 
descends  upon  the  mountains 
ofZion."  Mr.  Maundrel  takes 
notice  of  this  mountain,  and 
says  that  in  three  hours  and  a 
half  from  the  river  Kishon,  he 
came  to  a  small  brook,  from 
which  he  had  an  extensive 
prospect  of  the  plain  of  Esdra- 
elon.  To  the  east  six  or  seven 
hours    distant,   Nazareth   was 


visible,  and  the  two  mountains 
Tabor  and  Hermon.  He  adds, 
we  were  sufficiently  instructed 
by  experience  what  the  holy 
Psalmist  means  by  "the  dew  of 
Hermon,"  our  tents  being  wet 
with  it,  as  if  it  had  rained  all 
night.  Mr.  Calmet  however, 
doubts  whether  the  name  of 
Hermon  was  ever  applied  to 
any  mountain,  west  of  the  Jor- 
dan, till  days  more  modern 
than  the  writing  of  the  Scrip- 
tures.    Lat.  33,  20. 

HESER,  a  city  in  the  land 
of  Canaan  and  tribe  of  Judah, 
built  and  fortified  by  Solomon, 
perhaps  the  same  as  Hazor. 

HESHBON,  a  celebrated 
city  twenty  miles  east  of  Jor- 
dan, according  to  Eusebius, 
and  opposite  to  Jericho.  It 
was  the  capital  city  of  the  Am- 
orites,  and  was  given  to  the 
tribe  of  Reuben,  Josh,  xiii,  17, 
but  was  probably  made  over 
to  that  of  Gad.  Pliiry  makes 
it  to  belong  to  Arabia.  Solo- 
mon in  his  Song  vii,  4,  speaks 
of  the  waters  of  Heshbon,  and 
the  second  book  of  Maccabees 
xii,  16,  says  that  the  lake  of 
Caspis  or  Heshbon  was  two 
furlongs,  or  three  hundred 
paces  broad.  Jerome  and  Eu- 
sebius both  say  it  was  at  the 
period  of  their  writing  a  noble 
city  of  Arabia  among  the 
mountains.     JCimpton, 


HIE 


HIE 


HETHLON,  a  city  men- 
tioned  in  Ezekiel  xlvii,  15,  and 
xlviii,  I,  as  limiting  the  land 
of  promise  on   the  north  side. 

HEZRON,  a  city  in  the 
south  part  of  the  tribe  of  Judah. 

HIDDEKEL,  one  of  the 
rivers  of  Paradise,  Gen.  ii,  14. 
This  being  the  third  river, 
mentioned  by  Moses,  "Which 
goeth  toward  the  east  of  As- 
syria," or  as  it  is  better  trans- 
lated, Which  goeth  along 
the  side  of  Assyria,  is  by  many 
thought  to  be  the  Tigris.  The 
Tigris  parts  Assyria  from  Me- 
sopotamia, and  meeting  with 
the  Euphrates  below  Bain  Ion, 
they  empty  themselves  into  the 
Persian  Gulf.     JVells. 

HIERAPOLIS,was  in  Phry- 
gia  and  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Colosse  and  Laodioea.  It  was 
destroyed  by  an  earthquake,  in 
the  first  ages  of  Christianity.  St. 
Paul,  writing  to  the  Colos.iv,13, 
testifies  of  Epaphras,  and  says, 
that  he  abounds  in  zeal  and  af- 
fection for  those  of  Hierapolis. 
This  city,  now  called  by  the 
Turks  Pambuck-Kulasi,  or  the 
cotton  tower,  by  reason  of  the 
white  cliffs  rising  in  the  vicinity, 
is  a  city  of  the  greater  Phry- 
gia,  and  lies  under  a  high  hill  to 
the  north,  having  to  the  south- 
ward a  fair  and  large  plain,  five 
miles  over,  almost  directly  op- 
posite to  Laodicea,  the  river 
Lycus  running   between,    but 


nearer  to  Hierapolis,  now  ut- 
terly forsaken  and  desolate;  but 
whose  ruins  are  so  glorious  and 
magnificent,  that  they  will  strike 
one  with  horror  at  the  first 
view  of  them,  and  with  admi- 
ration of  such  walls  and  arches, 
and  pillars  of  so  vast  a  height, 
and  so  curiously  wrought,  still 
to  be  found  there,  that  one  mav 
well  judge,  that  it  was  one  of 
the  most  glorious  cities,  of  the 
world.  The  numerous  tem- 
ples, there  erected  in  the  times 
of  idolatry,  with  so  much  art 
and  cost,  might  sufficiently  con- 
firm the  title  of  the  Holy  City, 
which  it  had  derived  from  the 
hot  waters  flowing  from  several 
springs,  to  which  they  ascribed 
a  divine  healing  virtue,  and 
which  made  the  city  so  famous; 
and  for  this  cause  Apollo, whom 
both  Greeks  and  Romans  ador- 
ed as  the  god  of  medicine,  had 
his  votaries  and  altars  here,  and 
was  very  probably  their  chief 
deity.  In  the  theatre,  which  is 
of  a  large  compass,  and  height 
from  the  top,  there  being  above 
forty  stone  seats,  we  found  upon 
a  curious  piece  of  wrought 
marble,  belonging  to  a  portal, 
these  words  in  Greek,  To  Apol- 
lo the  chief  president,  a  title  pe- 
culiar to  him.  Where  these 
springs  arise,  is  a  very  large 
bath  curiously  paved  with  white 
marble,  about  which  formerly 
stood  several  pillars  now  thrown 


HOIl 


HIV 


into  it.  Hence  the  waters 
make  their  way  through  several 
channels,which  they  have  form- 
ed for  themselves,  oftentimes 
overflowing  them,  and  which 
crusting  the  ground  turns  the 
superficial  parts  into  a  tophus. 
Several  tombs  still  remain, some 
of  them  almost  entire,  very 
stately  and  glorious,  as  if  it  had 
been  accounted  a  kind  of  sac- 
rilege to  injure  the  dead,  and 
upon  that  account  they  had  ab- 
stained from  defacing  their 
monuments,  which  are  entire 
stones  of  a  great  length  and 
height,  some  covered  with 
stones  shaped  into  the  form  of 
a  cube.  It  stands  17  miles 
north  of  Laodicea.  Lat.  38,7. 
Lon.  29,  30.     Dr.  Smith,  &c. 

HILEN,  a  city  of  Palestine 
in  the  tribe  of  Judah,  eiven  to 
the  Levites. 

HINNOM,  the  valley  of 
Hinnom,  or  of  the  sons  of  Hin- 
nom  (Josh,  xiii,  8,  2)  lay  to  the 
south  of  Jerusalem.  It  was  also 
called  the  valley  of  Tophet,  and 
was  remarkable  for  the  cruel  and 
barbarous  worship  of  the  god 
Moloch.     See  Gehennom. 

HIRSHEMESH,  a  city  of 
Palestine  in  the  tribe  of  Dan. 

HITTITES,  the  land  of  the 
Hittites  is  spoken  of  in  Judges 
i,  26.  The  Hittites  were  the 
descendants  of  Heth. 

HIVITES,  a  people  de- 
scended from  Canaan,  Gen.  x, 


17.  They  dwelt  at  first  in  the 
country,  which  was  afterward 
possessed  by  the  Caphtorims, 
or  Philistines.  The  scripture 
says  expressly,  (Deut.  ii,  23) 
that  the  Caphtorims,  drove  out 
the  Avims  or  Hivites,  who 
dwelt  from  Hazerim  unto  Az- 
zah.  There  were  Hivites,  like- 
wise, at  Shechem  and  Gibeon, 
and  consequently  in  the  centre 
of  the  promised  land,  for  the  in- 
habitants of  Shechem  and  the 
Gibeonites  were  Hivites,  Josh, 
xi,  19,  and  Genesis  xxxiv,  2. 
Lastly,  there  were  some  beyond 
Jordan,  at  the  foot  of  mount 
Hermon,  Josh,  xi,  3.  Bochart 
is  of  opinion  that  Cadmus,  who 
carried  a  body  of  Phoenicians 
into  Greece,  was  a  Hivite. 

HOBAH,  a  place  in  Syria, 
mentioned  only  in  Gen.  xiv, 
15.  Abraham  having  armed 
his  own  people  pursued  the 
army,  which  had  taken  Lot,  to 
Hobah,  which  was  not  far  from 
Damascus.  A  learned  writer 
supposes,  it  was  the  same  as 
Abila,  in  the  valley  between  Li- 
banus  and  Anti-Libanus,  and 
north  from  Damascus. 

HOLON,  a  city  of  refuge, 
belonging  to  the  priests,  and 
situated  in  the  mountains  of 
Judah,  Josh,  xv,  51,  and  Josh, 
xxi,  15. 

HOLY  LAND,  see  Pales- 
tine. 

HOR,  a  mountain  in    Ara- 


HOR 


nou 


bia  Petrca,  on  the  confines  of 
Id u men,  which  Aaron  was  com- 
manded by  God  to  ascend,  and 
there  to  be  gathered  to  his  fath- 
ers. This  mountain  was  af- 
terwards  called  Seir,  and  the 
name  of  Hor  was  laid  aside,  or 
onlv  retained  for  a  particular 
part  or  summit.      See  Seir. 

Dr.   JFells. 

HOREB, a  mountain  in  Ara- 
bia Petrea,  very  near  mount 
Sinai,  so  that  Horeb  and  Sinai 
seem  to  be  onlv  two  hills  be- 
longing  to  the  same  mountain. 
Sinai  lies  to  the  east,  and  Ho- 
reb to  the  west,  so  that  when 
the  sun  rises,  the  latter  is  cover- 
ed with  the  shadow  of  Sinai. 

There  is  abundance  of  fruit 
trees  on  mount  Horeb,  and 
three  fine  springs,  but  there  is 
none  but  rnin  water  on  Sinai. 
At  Horeb  God  appeared  to 
Moses  in  a  burning  bush,  Ex. 
iii,  1,  2,  3,  &c.  At  the  foot  of 
the  same  mountain,  Moses 
struck  the  rock,  and  drew  wa- 
ter from  it  to  satisfy  the  peo- 
ple's thirst,  Ex.  xvii,6.  Lastly, 
Elijah  retired  to  the  same  place 
to  avoid  the  persecution  of  Jez- 
ebel, 1  Kings  xix,  8.  It  is 
said  Aery  frequently  in  the  He- 
brews, that  God  trave  his  law 
to  the  Israelites  at  Horeb,  tho' 
in  other  places,  this  is  said  ex- 
pressly to  have  been  done  at  Si- 
nai; as  we  have  observed,  Ho- 
reb mid  Sinai,  made  in  sort,  but 


one  mountain.    For  the  several 
events',   which  happened  upon 

this  mountain,  according  to 
the  modern  commentators,  it 
has  received  the  title  of  the 
mount  of  God,  as  it  is  called  in 
the  last  text  referred  to;  and 
Josephus  tells  us,  that  the  peo- 
ple of  this  country  had  a  tradi- 
tion, that  God  in  a  more  par- 
ticular manner  dwelt  there,  and 
that,  therefore,  in  reverence  of 
the  place,  they  always  declined 
feeding  their  Hocks  upon  it. 

But  the  most  remarkable 
thing  to  be  seen  at  Horeb,  is  a 
solitary  rock  mentioned  in  Ex- 
odus xvii,  which  proclaims  the 
divinity  of  revelation,  with  the 
various  mouths,  whence  the 
waters  gushed,  and  the  streams, 
flowed,  smitten  by  the  rod  of 
Moses.  It  is  a  rock  of  red 
marble,  about  4  yards  square. 
In  all  the  openings  or  mouths, 
are  horizontal,  and  iri  some  of 
them  perpendicular,  cracks, 
which  could  never  have  been 
produced  by  any  tool.  Like 
the  rent  in  the  rock  of  Calvary, 
it  produces  religious  surprise 
in  the  most  philosophical  spec- 
tator. In  this  region,  in  the 
wilderness  of  Kadesh,  is  the 
other  rock,  mentioned  in  Num- 
bers 20th,  from  which  water 
flowed,  and  a  stream  followed 
the  camp,  being  twice  smitten 
by  the  rod  of  ^vfrJses,  38  years 
after  the  other  miracle.     Front 


HOR 


HOR 


the  bottom  to  the  top  now  ap- 
pear various  openings,  whence 
the  waters  burst  forth.  Mr. 
Sandys  says,  that  mount  Sinai 
has  three  tops  of  a  marvellous 
height,  by  which  he  probably 
means  the  Mount  of  Moses, 
the  mount  of  St.  Catharine,  and 
mount  Horeb,  and  this  last  (he 
says)  is  the  most  western  of 
the  three  tops  or  mountains, 
which  agrees  very  well  to  the 
circumstances  of  the  sacred 
history.  For  according  to  this 
situation,  mount  Horeb  must 
lie  nearest  to  Rephidim. 

Near  mount  Horeb  is  the 
monaster}'  of  the  forty  martyrs. 
It  is  pleasant,  has  a  fair  church 
or  chapel,  dedicated  to  the 
blessed  virgin,  and  a  fine  large 
garden.  In  this  garden  are 
apple  trees,  pear  trees,  walnut 
trees,  orange  trees,  lemon  trees, 
olive  trees,  and  all  other  fruit 
trees,  which  grow  in  this  coun- 
try. And  indeed  that  little 
good  fruit,  which  is  eat  at 
Cairo,  comes  from  mount  Ho- 
reb. Besides  this  garden,  there 
are  fine  vineyards,  and  very 
good  water  there.  A  Greek 
monk  lives  always  in  this  mo- 
nastery, and  he  whom  we  found 
there,  says  Thevenot,  told  us 
that  he  had  been  twenty  years 
in  it.  He  takes  care  to  see  the 
gardens  dressed,  and  kept  in 
order  by  some  Arabs,  who  wil- 
lingly serve  him. 


Not  far  from  this  garden  is 
shown  the  stone,  or  rather  place 
where  the  golden  calf  was  mol- 
ten. It  is  in  the  very  rock, 
where  one  may  see  a  great 
head  of  a  calf,  cut  to  the  life. 
And  within  this  place,  the 
Greeks  say,  that  the  riches  and 
ornaments  of  the  Israelites  were 
cast,  of  which  was  made  the 
head  of  the  golden  calf,  that 
they  worshipped,  while  Moses 
was  with  God  on  mount  Sinai. 
But  it  is  more  probable,  (as 
Thevenot  observes)  that  the 
Greeks  have  cut  the  head  of  a 
calf  in  the  rock,  to  mark  the 
place  where  it  was  cast.  [The 
Greeks  supposed  the  head  only 
was  bestial.] 

HOREM,  a  city  in  Naph- 
tali,  Josh,  xix,  38.  Its  name 
imports  destruction,  or  dedi- 
cated, consecrated.  It  has  been 
thought,  that  it  was  so  named 
from  being  devoted  to  destruc- 
tion; but  it  is  certain  that  things 
might  be  irrevocably  conse- 
crated, and  yet  not  destroyed; 
but  they  were  forever  to  be 
used  and  appropriated  for  the 
Divine  service.  So  nothing  for- 
bids our  supposing  that  the 
property  of  this  town  might  be 
vested  in  the  national  institu- 
tions, for  the  support  of  public 
worship.  Its  revenue  was  de- 
voted to  the  temple  or  taberna- 
cle of  God. 
HORH  AGIDG  AD,  or  Hon  - 


HOfi 


ICO 


oacidgad,  or  Gadcad,  an 
encampment  of  Israel  march- 
ing from  Egypt,  perhaps  so 
called,  because  there  they 
might  be  reviewed  by  troops. 
The  word  signifies  the  hill  of 
troops.  According  to  the  map 
of  Bonfrerius  it  was  the  twenty  - 
ninth  station  of  Israel,  at  the 
foot  of  a  mountain,  two  miles 
from  the  Red  sea. 

HORITES,  an  ancient  peo- 
ple, who  at  the  beginning  dwelt 
in  the  mountains  of  Seir,  be- 
yond Jordan,  Gen.  xiv,  6. 
They  had  princes  and  were 
powerful,  before  Esau  made  a 
conquest  of  their  country,  Gen. 
xxxvi,  20—30.  The  Horites, 
the  descendants  of  Seir,  and 
the  Edomites,  seem  afterwards 
to  have  been  confounded,  and  to 
have  composed  but  one  people, 
Deut.  ii,  1  and  xxxiii,  2,  and 
Judg.  v,  4.  They  dwelt  in  Ara- 
bia Petrea  and  Arabia  Deserta, 
to  the  south-east  of  the  prom- 
ised land. 

HORMAH,  Herma,  Har- 
ma,  or  Arma,  it  should  be 
written  Chorma  or  Cherma, 
this  city  was  called  Zephath, 
before  the  Hebrews  gave  it  the 
name  of  Hormah,  Judg.  i,  17, 
which sigritfKts Anathema.  Hor- 
mah belonged  to  the  tribe  of 
Simeon,  in  the  south  of  Canaan. 
Lat.  31,  21. 

HORON,  a  city  of  Arabia, 
whence  came  Sanballat,  Nch. 
ii,  10. 


IIOWNAIM,atownofthe 
Moabites,  Isa.  xv,  5. 

HAKOK,  a  city  of  Asher, 
the  same  probably  as  that, 
which  is  made  part  of  Naph- 
tali,  Josh,  xix,  34.  It  was 
yielded  to  the  Levites  and  as- 
signed to  be  a  city  of  refuge, 
1  Chron.  vi,  15.  The  tribes 
of  Asher  and  Naphtali,  border- 
ing on  one  another,  it  is  not 
surprising  that  a  city  lying  on 
the  limits  of  both  should  be 
sometimes  attributed  to  the 
one,  sometimes  to  the  other. 

HUMTAH,  a  city  of  Ca- 
naan in  the  tribe  of  Judah. 

HUZZAB,  a  fortress,  per- 
haps in  Nineveh,  or  the  name 
given  to  the  city  itself. 

IBLEAM,  a  town  in  the 
half  tribe  of  Manasseh,  en  the 
west  side  of  Jordan.  It  was 
given  to  the  Levites  for  Gath- 
rimmon;  but  the  Canaanites  re- 
tained the  place. 

ICONIUM,  at  present  Cogni, 
formerly  the  capital  of  Lycao- 
nia  in  Asia  Minor.  St.  Paul, 
coming  to  Iconium,  Acts  xiii, 
5i;  xiv,  1,  Sec.  in  the  year  of 
Jesus  Christ  45,  converted  ma- 
ny Jews  and  Gentiles.  It  is 
believed,  that  in  his  first  jour- 
ney to  this  city,  he  converted 
St.  Theca,  so  celebrated  in  the 
writings  of  the  ancient  fathers. 
But  some  wicked  Jews  excited 
the  Gentiles  to  rise  against 
Paul  and  Barnabas,  so  that  they 
were  at  the  point  of  offering 


IDU 


IDC 


violence  to  them,  which  oblig- 
ed them  to  fly  to  the  neighbor- 
ing cities.  St.  Paul  undertook 
a  second  journey  to  Iconium, 
in  the  year  of  Jesus  Christ  51. 
A  Christian  church  was  planted 
and  supported  here  for  about 
800  years.  Iconium  was  made 
a  Roman  colony,  probably  by 
Adrian.  The  ravages  of  the  Sar- 
acens and  Turks  reduced  the 
Christians  to  a  very  low  condi- 
tion. At  present  it  is  the  most 
distinguished  place  in  Carama- 
nia,  and  the  seat  of  an  Ottoman 
Beglerbey.  It  is  surrounded 
by  a  strong  wall,  four  miles  in 
extent,  and  fortified  with  one 
hundred  and  eight  noble  tow- 
ers, at  equal  distances,  yet  a 
considerable  portion  of  the  city 
lies  waste.  The  inhabitants 
are  all  Turks.  Not  a  Jew,  not 
a  Christian  may  live  within  the 
walls;  but  they  reside  in  the 
suburbs.  The  situation  is  de- 
lightful, on  a  spacious  and  fer- 
tile plain.  The  sheep  are  of 
the  Syrian  kind,  the  tails  some- 
times weighing  thirty  pounds, 
which  are  laid  on  a  light 
sledge,  drawn  by  the  sheep. 
Iconium  is  110  miles  from  the 
Mediterranean.  Lat.  38,  27, 
long.  33,  30.  Folio  Gcog.  of 
Moll.  vol.  ii. 

IDAL\H,    a    city   in    the 
tribe  of  Zebulon,  Josh,  xix,  15. 

IDUMEA,   or    Edom,    a 
province  of  Arabia,  which  de- 


rives its  name  from  Edom  or 
Esau,  who  there  fixed  his  habi- 
tation. Or  to  be  more  exact, 
Idumea  advanced  into  Judea 
on  the  south,  and  Arabia  ad- 
vanced into  Idumea  on  the 
north.  Esau  settled  at  first  in 
the  mountains  of  Seir,  in  the 
land  belonging  to  the  Horites, 
to  the  south-east  of  the  Dead 
Sea,  and  the  Mediterranean. 

The  Idu means  or  Edomites, 
who  were  the  posterity  of  Esau, 
had  kings  long  before  the  Jews, 
Gen.  xxxvi,  31.  They  were 
first  governed  by  dukes  or 
princes,  and  afterwards  by 
kings.  They  continued  inde- 
pendent to  the  time  of  David, 
when  they  were  entirely  con- 
quered, 2  Sam.  viii,  14,  and 
Isaac's  prophecy,  that  Jacob 
should  rule  Esau  completely 
accomplished. 

Uzziah,  king  of  Judah,  took 
from  them  the  city  of  Elath,  on 
the  Red  Sea,  2  Kings  xiv,  22. 
But  Rezin  king  of  Syria  retook 
it  from  Uzziah,  and  drove  out 
the  Jews.  Some  think  that 
Esar-haddon,  king  of  Syria, 
ravaged  their  country,  Isaiah 
xxi,  11,  12,  13,  and  xxxiv,  1. 
Holofernes  subdued  them,  as 
well  as  the  other  people,  who 
dwelt  round  about  Judea.  Ju- 
dith iii,  14.  When  Nebuchad- 
nezzar besieged  Jerusalem,  the 
Idumseans  joined  him,  and  en- 
couraged him,   utterly  to  des- 


IDU 

troy  this  city,  and  root  up  its 
j  foundations-  This  cruelty 
•lid" not  continue  long  unpun- 
ished. Nebuchadnezzar,  five 
years  after  the  taking  of  Jerusa- 
lem, humbled  all  the  states, 
which  bordered  upon  Judea, 
and  in  particular  the  Idu me- 
ans, Judas  Maccabeus  attack- 
ed and  defeated  them  in  seve- 
ral rencounters,  but  John  Hyr- 
canus  entirely  conquered  them, 
obliged  them  to  receive  cir- 
cumcision, and  submit  to  oth- 
er observances  of  the  Jewish 
law.  They  continued  subject 
to  the  later  kings  of  Judea,  till 
the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  by 
the  Romans.  They  even  came 
to  the  assistance  of  this  city 
when  besieged;  and  entered  into 
it  in  order  to  defend  it:  they 
did  not  however  continue  there 
till  it  was  taken,  but  returned 
into  Iclumea,  loaded  with 
oooty. 

With  respect  to  the  religion 
of  the  Idu  means,  it  is  thought 
probable,  that  in  the  beginning 
they  adored  the  true  God,  the 
worship  of  whom  Esau  learned 
in  the  house  of  his  father  Isaac. 
The  Scripture  does  not  re- 
proach the  Idumeans  with 
idolatry,  nor  does  it  any  where 
mention  their  idols.  Job,  whom 
we  suppose  to  belong  to  this 
country,  and  at  least  a  part  of 
his  particular  friends,  worship- 
ped the  true  God. 
2S 


ILL 

IIM,  a  city  in  the  tribe  of 
Judah,  Josh,  xv,  29. 

IJEABARIM,  one  of  the 
encampments  of  the  Israelites 
in  the  land  of  Moab,  after  their 
departure  out  of  Egypt,  Num, 
xxi;  11.  This  place  was  east 
from  the  land  of  Moab. 

IJON,  orH&THLo.v,  a  fronr 
tier  town  of  Canaan  towards 
Damascus. 

ILLYRICUM,  a  province 
lying  to  the  north-west  of 
Macedonia,  along  the  eastern 
coast  of  the  Adriatic  gulf,  or 
gulf  of  Venice,  being  480  miles, 
long,  and  120  broad.  It  has 
Austria  and  part  of  Hungary 
north,  Mysia  or  Servia  east, 
part  of  Macedonia  south.  St. 
Paul,  Rom.  xv,  19,  says  that 
he  preached  the  Gospel  from 
Jerusalem  round  about  to  IU 
lyricum.  So  that  he  must 
have  preached  in  Syria,  Phoe- 
nicia, Arabia,  Cilicia,  Pam- 
philia,  Pisidia,  Lycaonia,  Gal- 
atea, Pontus,  Paphlagonia, 
Phrygia,  Troas,  Asia,  Caria, 
Lycia,  Ionia,  Lydia,  the  isles 
of  Cyprus  and  Crete,  Thracia, 
Macedonia,  Thesalia,  and  AT 
chaia..  It  does  not  appear, 
however,  that  Paul  preached 
in  Illyricumj  but  travelled  to 
its  borders.     Paley. 

The  province  of  Illyricum 
was  divided  into  two  parts,  Li- 
burnia  north,  which  is  now 
Croatia,  and   Dalmatia  which 


IND 


JND 


Still  retains  its  name.     In  this 
country  are    many  Christians. 
INDIA,  a  country  of  Asia 
mentioned  in  Scripture,  Esth. 
3,  1,  Sec.  "Ahasuerus  reigned 
from  India  to  Ethiopia."  This 
by  very  learned  men  is  suppos- 
ed to  refer  to  Hindostan  rather 
than  the  present  India.     It  has 
also  been  supposed  that   this 
country  is  referred  to  in  Acts 
ii,  9,  where  among  the  enu- 
meration   of    foreigners   then 
at   Jerusalem    are   mentioned, 
"Dwellers   in   Judea."      This 
certainly  is  liable  to  some  cor- 
rection. Plausible  reasons  have 
been  suggested  for  substituting 
India.     It  also  deserves  some 
notice,  that  while   the   people 
from  Parthia,  Media,  &.c.  are 
mentioned  as  natives  or  citi- 
zens of  those  countries,  those 
of  India  and  Mesopotamia  are 
said  to  be  "dwellers,"  or  tem- 
porary residents,  as  the  people 
while  at  Jerusalem,  attending 
the  religious  festival,  are  called 
"dwellers."  This  suggests  that 
a    more    remote   and   eastern 
Mesopotamia  is  intended,  than 
the     country      between      the 
Tigris    and    Euphrates;    here 
the  Jews  were  settled  and  fixed. 
But  in  the  original  Mesopota- 
mia, referred  to  by  St.  Stephen, 
the  country  of  Abraham,  and  in 
India,  it  may  well  be  supposed, 
the  Jews  had  no  fixed  settle- 
ments; yet  numbers  have  ad- 


ventured there  for  traffic  and 
other  purposes,  as  we  know 
that  rrianv  of  thffm  at  thai  time 
had  travelled  to  Africa  and 
Europe,  where  they  v#ere 
"dwellers."  Still  the  learned 
have  not  arrived  at  certainty, 
or  precision  respecting  India. 
India,  on  its  most  enlarged 
scale,  in  which  the  ancients 
appear  to  have  understood  it, 
comprises  an  area  of  near  forty 
degrees  on  each  side,  including 
a  space  almost  as  large  as  all 
Europe,  being  divided  on  the 
west  from  Persia  by  the  Ara- 
chosian  mountains,  limited  on 
the  east  by  the  Chinese  part  of 
the  further  peninsula,  confinevl 
on  the  north  by  the  wilds  of 
Tartary,  and  south  extending 
to  the  isles  of  Java.  This  tra- 
pezium comprehends,  there- 
fore, the  stupendous  hills  of 
Thibet,  the  beautiful  valley  of 
Cashmire,  the  domains  of  Ne- 
paul,  Asam,  Siam,  Ava,  and 
Racan.  By  India  may  be  un- 
derstood the  whole  of  that 
country,  where  the  primitive 
religion  and  languages  of  the 
Hindoos  prevail  at  this  day. 
This  country  has  been  inhabit- 
ed from  the  earliest  antiquity 
by  a  people,  who  have  no  re- 
semblance, either  in  their  fig- 
ure or  manners  with  any  of  the 
nations  contiguous  to  them; 
though  different  conquerors 
have  established  themselves  at 


L\l) 


IND 


rent  times,  and  in  various 

parts  of  India;  vet  the  aboriginal 
inhabitants  have  lost  very  little 
of  their  original  eharacter.  Af- 
ter so  frequent  subjeetions  to 
their  conquerors,  still  their 
sources  of  wealth  are  abundant, 
their  manufactures  of  cotton 
surpass  all  the  world,  and  their 
llatures,  probably,  remain  un- 
altered, and  though  now  hum- 
bled and  debased,  they  for- 
merly, it  may  be  supposed, 
were  splendid  in  arts  and  arms, 
happy  in  their  government,  and 
eminent  in  various  knowledge. 
Asiatic  Researches,  vol.  i,  page 
418—421. 

The  original  population  may 
be  generally  considered  as  indi- 
genouspr  in  otherwords,  pecul- 
iar to  this  country.   P'mkcrton. 

India  it  is  supposed  was  set- 
tled by  Ham,  a  son  of  Noah, 
or  his  posterity.  See  Asiatic 
Researches,  vol.  iii,  page  490. 
The  children  of  Ham,  who 
founded  in  Iran  or  Persia,  the 
monarchy  of  the  firstChaldeans, 
invented  letters,  observed  and 
narked  the  luminaries  of  the 
firmament,  were  dispersed  at 
various  intervals,  and  in  various 
olo'.ues  over  land  and  ocean. 
The  tribes  of  Misr,  Cush,  and 
Rama  settled  in  Africa  and  In- 
dict, while  some  of  the  f-imily 
cd  into  Greece  and  Italy, 
supplanting  part  of  the  clans, 
who  had  preceded  them,  and 


uniting  with  others;  while  oth- 
ers of  them,  it  is  thought,  found 
their  way  to  Mexico  and  Peru, 
where  rude  traces  of  literature 
and  mythology  were  discovered, 
resembling  those  of  Egypt  and 
India..  These  facts  corroborate 
Scripture  prophecy.  Noah  fore- 
told that  the  children  of  Ham 
should  be  servants  of  servants. 
Seventy  millions  of  them  in 
India,  not  to  mention  the  con- 
tinent of  Africa,  and  the  mil- 
lions in  America  are  subdued 
and  oppressed  by  one  govern- 
ment of  Europe. 

It  is  generally  believed  that 
Christianity  was  preached  in 
India  at  a  very  early  period. 
Socrates,  who  wrote  in  the  be- 
ginning of  the  fifth  century, 
says  that  when  the  apostles  had 
taken  their  different  lots,  that 
Bartholomew  chose  India;  but 
the  middle  India,  he  remarks, 
was  inhabited  by  barbarous  na- 
tions and  did  not  receive  the 
gospel  till  the  reign  of  Con- 
stantine,  (book  i,  chap.  xv. ) 
But  others  *assert  with  much 
assurance,  that  St.  Thomas 
preached  the  gospel  in  India. 
In  the  Asiatic  Researches,  vol. 
x,  page  69,  it  is  asserted  that 
Christianity  at  a  very  early  pe- 
riod, had  made  very  great 
progress  in  the  Peninsula.  The1 
venerable  Pantaenus  of  Alex* 
andria  visited  India  about  the 
year    189,    and    there    fount] 


IND 


1SL 


Christians,  who  had  the  gospel 
of  St.  Matthew  in  Hebrew, 
which  he  carried  to  Alexandria, 
where  it  was  known  in  the 
time  of  St.  Jerome^  In  the 
year  325,  at  the  council  of 
Nice,  John  the  primate  of  In- 
dia, was  present  and  subscribed 
his  name.  In  the  sixth  centu- 
ry there  was  a  seminary  for » 
Christians  at  Serinda;  in  636 
two  monks  went  thence  to 
Constantinople.  In  the  ninth 
century  Sighelm,  bishop  of 
Shereburn,  was  sent  to  India 
by  Alfred  in  consequence  of  a 
vow.  In  the  thirteenth  cen- 
tury, before  the  Portuguese 
had  visited  the  country,  Marco 
Polo  and  others  say,  that  Chris- 
tians were  numerous  in  India. 
I  might  have  been  more  par- 
ticular and  mentioned  Theoph- 
ilusj  an  Arian  bishop,  who  e- 
recttcl  churches  in  India  about 
A.D.  354;  also  Marutha,  a 
Hindoo  bishop,  who  assisted 
at  the  Synod  of  Sides  in  Pam- 
J>hylia,  A.D.  £83,  and  that  in 
522  there  were  churches  and 
priests,  with  the  whole  liturgy 
in  Ceylon,  also  on  the  Malabar 
coast,  and  in  the  north-west  of 
India.  In  these  countries  at 
that  time  were  a  vast  number 
of  churches.  The  mission  of 
St.  Thomas  to  India,  with  the 
surprising  progress  of  the 
Christian  religion  are,  there- 
fore  facts  sufficiently  authenti- 


cated. Asiatic  Researches,  Vol. 
x,  p.  73. 

When  Vasco  de  Gama  ar- 
rived at  Cochin,  on  the  west  of 
Malabar,  in  the  year  1503,  he 
found  Christian  churches,  and 
a  Christian  king;  since  which 
lit||e  has  been  known  respect- 
ingpthe  Christians  of  India,  till 
within  a  few  years  they  have 
been  visited  by  the  learned  and 
pious  Dr.  Buchanan,  who  as- 
sures us  that  more  than  two 
hundred  thousand  Christians 
now  inhabit  these  countries,  of 
pure  morals,  enjoying  gospel 
ordinances,  and  colleges  for  the 
education  of  their  youth;  but 
as  this  interesting  work  is  well 
known,  I  add  no  more. 

IONIA.    SeeJavan. 

ISHMAELITES,  a  people 
descended  from  Ishmael.  See 
Hagarenes  and  Arabians*  for  a 
very  particular  account  of  this 
wonderful  people. 

ISLES  OF  THE  GEN- 
TILES, the  countries  of  Na- 
tolia  and  Europe.  It  is  evi- 
dent from  several  passages  of 
Scripture,  that  by  the  word 
which  we  have  translated  isle, 
the  Hebrews  understood  not 
only  such  countries,  as  are 
on  all  sides  surrounded  by  sea, 
but  also  such  countries  as 
were  separated  from  them  by 
water,  or  the  lands  to  which 
they  went  by  water, Is.  xl,  10, 1 1 . 

In  the    opinion  of  another 


ISR 


ISU 


writer,  is/and  importssettlement 
or  plantation ,  that  is,  a  colony  or 
establishment  in  opposition  to 
a  wild,  unappropriated  region. 
I  shall  add  a  few  instances  to 
confirm  this  opinion,  and  show 
that  the  sense  would  be  im- 
proved by  such  a  rendering  of 
the  word.  "By  these  were  the 
settlements  of  the  Gentiles  di- 
vided in  their  lands."  The 
sacred  writer  had  just  enume- 
rated countries,  which  were 
not  isles,  in  any  proper  sense; 
therefore,  to  call  these  isles  of 
the  Gentiles,  must  be  improp- 
er, Job  xxii,  30,  "He  shall  de- 
liver the  island  of  the  innocent." 
How  much  more  just  to  read 
settlement.  Isaiah  xlii,  15,  I 
will  make  the  rivers  islands,  i.  e. 
on  the  rivers,  I  will  plant  colo- 
nies or  settlements.  Isaiah  xiii, 
21,  Wild  beasts  of  the  islands 
i.  e.  vermin  of  the  plantations. 
I  only  add  that  the  Oases  of 
Africa,  which  are  small  dis- 
tricts of  verdure  and  popula- 
tion, surrounded  by  a  desert  of 
sand,  are  called  islands  among 
the  Arabs,  even  at  this  day. 
No  doubt  such  settlements  or 
insulated  colonies,  were  by  the 
Hebrews  called  islands,  though 
there  was  not  a  drop  of  water 
jiear  them. 

ISRAELITES,  a  remarka- 
ble people,  descended  from 
Israel  or    Jacob.     Thev   were 


at  first  called  Hebrews,  be 
descendants  of  Heberand  final 
ly  Jcvvs^  This  name  was  also 
often  appropriate  to  the  ten 
tribes,  who  revolted,  and  elected 
Jeroboam  king,  and  for  a  long 
period  constituted  a  separate 
kingdom,  independent  of  the 
kingdom  of  Judah,  which 
consisted  of  Judah  and  Benja- 
min. This  division  of  the 
tribes  into  two  kingdoms  took 
place  about  847  years  before 
Christ.  While  the  kingdom 
of  Judah  in  a  great  degree 
maintained  their  religion  in 
purity,  the  Israelites,  or  the  ten 
tribes,  abandoned  themselves  to 
infidelity,  rejected  the  rites  and 
solemnities  enjoined  in  revela- 
tion, and  plunged  into  all  the 
absurdities  of  paganism. 

For  their  impiety  they  were 
finally  conquered,  and  carried 
into  captivity,  and  have  long- 
ceased,  "to  be  reckoned  among 
the  nations."  In  A.  M.  3264, 
which  was  about  two  hundred 
eighteen  years  after  their  re- 
volt from  the  house  of  David. 
Tiglath-pileser  took  several 
cities,  and  carried  away  cap- 
tive the  tribes  of  Reuben  and 
Gad  and  the  half  tribe  of  Ma- 
nasseh,  who  were  more  exposed 
to  invasion,  lying  on  the  fron- 
tiers of  the  country,  east  of  the 
great  river  and  lakes  of  the 
country.    Nineteen  years  after. 


tSR 

A.  M.  3283,  and  A.  C.  721, 
Salmaneser  took  Samaria,  the 
capital  of  the  kingdom,  after  a 
siege  of  three  years,  and  carri- 
ed the  other  tribes,  beyond  the 
Euphrates.  The  general  opin- 
ion is,  that  these  ten  tribes  have 
never  returned  from  this  cap- 
tivity. We  may  better  exam- 
ine this  for  a  moment  after 
mentioning  the  ruin  brought 
on  the  house  of  Judah.  In  the 
year  A.  M.  3398,  about  134 
years  after  the  final  captivity 
of  Israel,  the  Lord  gave  Jehoi- 
akim,  king  of  Judah,  into  the 
hand  of  Nebuchadnezzar  king 
of  Babylon.  With  the  royal 
city,  and  its  king,  a  part  of  the 
vessels,  belonging  to  the  tem- 
ple, fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
conqueror.  Daniel  was  among 
the  captives;  they  were  carried 
"into  the  land  of  Shinar,"  or 
Babylon.  In  A.M.  3401,  in 
the  seventh  year  of  Jehoiachim, 
Nebuchadnezzar,  again,  carri- 
ed 3,023  Jews  to  Babylon. 
Again,  five  years  after  this, 
Jehoiachim  was  king,  he  and 
a  part  of  his  people  were  sent 
to  Babylon.  Finally,'  in  A.M. 
3416,  under  Zedekiah,  anoth- 
er conquest  and  captivity  of 
-this  people  took  place.  From 
tiiis  period  begins  the  seventy 
years  of  captivity  foretold  by 
the  prophet  Jeremiah.  The 
Jews  were  now  removed  to 
Babylon;  Nebuchadnezzar  de- 


ISR 

signing  to  make  that  city,  the 
capital  of  his  mighty  empire, 
and  of  the  East,  introduced 
there  a  multitude  of  captives, 
whom  he  had  taken  from  dif- 
ferent countries.  Here  the 
Jews  established  themselves 
and  built  them  houses,  as  if 
they  had  been  in  their  own 
country;  here  they  had  Rulers 
of  their  own  election,  and  were 
governed  by  their  own  laws. 
We  see  a  proof  of  this,  in  the 
story  of  Susanna,  who  was 
tried  and  judged  by  the  elders 
of  her  own  nation.  In  the 
year  A.  M.  3457,  Cyrus  per- 
mitted the  Je7vs  to  return  to 
their  own  country,  but  they 
had  no  permission  to  rebuild 
their  temple,  and  their  deliver- 
ance was  far  from  being  com- 
plete. But  in  3486,  which 
was  twenty -nine  years  after, 
Darius  by  proclamation  allow- 
ed them  to  rebuild  the  temple 
of  Jerusalem.  The  Jews  how- 
ever, assert  that  only  the  re- 
fuse of  their  nation  returned 
front  bylon,  that  the  chief 
men  ofjufjah  continued  in,  or 
near  E  -byion,  where  they  be- 
came|very  numerous.  In  the 
Asiatic  Researches,  we  learn, 
that  a  people  have  been  recent- 
ly discovered  in  the  East,  who 
it  is  confidently  believed  are 
the  lost  ten  tribes  of  Israel. 
These  people  are  called  Af- 
ghans.      In  Esdras  xiii,  41 — 


ISR 


ISH 


•1?,  we  read,  "that  those  ten 
tribes,  who  were  carried  pris- 
oners out  of  their    own    land, 

k  counsel  among  them- 
selves, that  they  would  leave 
the  multitude  of  the  heathen, 
and  go  fort!)  into  a  further 
country,  where  never  mankind 
dwelt,  that  they  might  there 
keep  their  statutes,  which  they 
had  never  kept  in  their  own 
land — to  that  country  it  is  a 
great  way  to  go,  namely  of  a 
year  and  a  half,  and  the  same 
region  is  called  Arsareth." 
Accordingly,  a  considerable 
district  under  the  .dominion  of 
the  Afghans  is  called  llazareh  or 
Hatarethy  which  might  easily 
be  formed  from  the  word  men- 
tioned by  Esdras.  In  addi- 
tion to  this,  the  Persian  histo- 
rians assert  that  the  Afghans 
are  descendants  of  the  Jews. 
It  is  also  declared,  that  though 
this  people,  as  the  Jews  often 
do,  suave  to  conceal  their  ori- 
gin, their  families  are  distin- 
guished by  the  very  names  of 
the  Jewish  tribes.  Another 
strong  evidence  is,  their  lan- 
guage, of  which  I  have  seen  a 
dictionary,  says  Mr.  Vansittart, 
which  has  a  manifest  resem- 
blance to  the  Chaldaic.  Here 
are  four  distinct  arguments,  or 
separate  proofs  that  the  Af- 
ghans are  of  Jewish  descent,  if 
so,  probably  the  lost  ten  tribes. 

Thev  have  a  tradition  of  a 


Jewish  origin.  2.  The  best 
Persian  historians,  with  whose 
empire  they  have  always  been 
connected,  assert  the  same. 
3.  A  large  district  of  their 
country  is  called  Hazaret, 
which  may  well  be  supposed  to 
be  the  same  as  Azareth.  4. 
Their  language  is  manifestly 
of  Hebrew  origin.  To  these 
we  may  add,  as  a  distinct  proof, 
the  names  of  their  families  are 
denoted  by  those  of  the  twelve 
patriarchs,  Reuben,  Judah,  and 
Simeon,  &c.  The  Afghans 
are"  numerous;  they  are  for- 
midable by  their  bravery  and 
population.  Dr.  Buchanan 
speaks  of  them  as  a  kingdom, 
of  Jews.  The  ten  tribes,  saith 
he,  so  long  lost,  have  at  length 
been  found.  It  has  been  suffi- 
ciently ascertained  by  the  in- 
vestigations of  the  learned  in 
India,  that  the  Afghan  and  Py- 
ran  nations  consist  of  the  Jew- 
ish tribes.  When  I  was  in 
the  south  of  India,  I  asked  the 
Black  Jews,  where  their  breth- 
ren the  great  body  of  the  ten 
tribes  were  to  be  found.  They 
answered  promptly,  that  they 
were  to  be  found  in  the  north, 
in  theregions  adjacent  toChal- 
dea,  the  very  country  into  which 
they  were  first  carried  into 
captivity.  On  my  return  to 
Calcutta,  I  prosecuted  the  in- 
quiry, under  the  advantages, 
which  my  superintendance  of 


1SR 


IS1I 


the  College  of  Fort  William 
afforded  me.  Sir  W.  Jones 
had  recorded  it  as  his  opinion, 
that  the  Afghans  were  Jews; 
and  referred  to  various  author- 
ities. A  further  investigation 
confirmed  the  judgment  of  this 
illustrious  scholar.  They  are 
recognized  to  be  Jews  by  their 
countenance,  by  traditions,  by 
peculiar  rites,  and  the  obser- 
vance of  the  Sabbath. 

Josephus,  who  wrote  in  the 
reign  of  Vespasian,  recites  a 
speech  made  by  king  Agrippa 
to  the  Jews, in  which  he  exhorts 
them  to  submit  to  the  Romans, 
and  expostulates  with  them  in 
these  words.  "What,  do  you 
stretch  your  hopes  beyond  the 
river  Euphrates?  Do  any  of 
you  think  your  fellow  tribes 
will  come  to  your  aid  out  of 
Adiabene?  Besides,  if  they 
would  come,  the  Parthian  will 
not  permit  it."  We  learn  from 
this  oration  delivered  to  the 
Jews  themselves,  and  by  a  king 
of  the  Jews,  that  the  ten  tribes 
were  then  captive  in  Media, 
under  the  Persian  princes. 
In  the  fifth  century,  Jerome, 
author  of  the  Vulgate,  treating 
of.  the  dispersed  Jews,  in  his 
notes  upon  Hosea,  has  these 
words:  "Unto  this  day  the  ten 
tribes  are  subject  to  the  kings 
of  the  Persians,  nor  has  their 
captivity  ever  been  loosed," 
and   again   he   says,  "the  ten 


tribes  inhabit  at  this  day  the 
cities  and  mountains  of  the 
Medes." 

There*  is  no  room  left  for 
doubt  on  this  subject.  Have 
we  heard  of  any  expedition  of 
the  Jews,  "going  forth  from 
that  country,  since  that  period, 
like  the  Goths  and  Huns  to 
conquer  nations?  Have  we  ever 
heard  of  their  rising  in  insur- 
rection to  burst  the  bands  of 
their  captivity?  To  this  day 
both  Jews  and  Christians  are 
generally  in  a  state  of  captivity 
in  these  despotic  countries. 
No  family  dares  leave  the  king- 
dom without  permission  of  the 
king. 

The  tribes  of  the  Afghan  race 
are  very  numerous,  and  of  dif- 
ferent casts.  .  They  extend  on 
both  sides  of  the  Indus,  and  in- 
habit the  mountainous  region, 
commencing  in  western  Per- 
sia. They  differ  in  language, 
customs,  religion,  and  counte- 
nance, and  have  little  knowl- 
edge of  each  other.  Some 
tribes  have  the  countenance  of 
the  Persian,  and  some  of  the 
Hindoo;  and  some  tribes  arc- 
evidently  of  Jewish  extraction. 
Calculating  then  the  num- 
ber of  Jews,  who  now  inhabit 
the  provinces  of  ancient  Chal- 
dea  or  the  contiguous  countries, 
and  who  still  profess  Judaism, 
and  the  number  of  those,  who 
embrace   Mahomedanism,    or 


ISS 


ITU 


some  form  of  it,  in  the  same 
regions;  we  may  be  satisfied, 
that  the  greater  part  of  the  ten 
tribes,  which  now  exist  are  to 
be  found  in  the  countries  of 
their  first  captivity." 

ISSACHAR.  This  tribe  was 
situated  in  one  of  the  best  ter- 
ritories of  Canaan.  It  had  the 
Mediterranean  sea  west,the  Jor- 
dan, with  a  section  of  the  sea  of 
Galilee  east,  the  half  tribe  of 
Manassch  lay  south,  the  tribe 
of  Zebulon  north. 

"Issachar,"  said  Jacob,  "is 
a  strong  ass  couching  down  be- 
tween two  burdens,"  &x.  But 
the  Chaldee  gives  another  turn 
to  this  passage:  "He  shall  sub- 
due provinces,  and  make  those 
tributary  to  him,  who  shall  re- 
main in  the  land;"  or  as  it  is 
in  Dr.  Clarke,  "He  saw  his 
portion  that  it  was  good,  and  the 
land  that  it  was  fruitful,  and  he 
shall  subdue  the  provinces  of 
the  people,  and  drive  out  their 
inhabitants,  and  those,  who  are 
left  shall  be  his  servants,  and 
his  tributaries."  Grotius  un- 
derstands the  passage  nearly  in 
the  same  manner.  In  the  song 
of  Deborah  she  commends  this 
tribe  for  their  powerful  assist- 
ance. "The  princes  of  Issa- 
char  were  with  Deborah."  In 
Chronicles,  they  are  said  to  be 
valiant  men  of  might  in  all  their 
families,  and  in  all  their  gener- 
ations," i.  e.  through  the  whole 
period  of  their  historv. 
27 


When  this  tribe  left  Egypt 
their  soldiers  were  54,400;  in 
the  wilderness  they  amounted 
to  64,300;  in  the  time  of  David 
they  were  143,600.  Tola  a 
judge,  and  Baasha  the  king, 
were  the  most  distinguished 
men,  produced  by  this  tribe. 
They  were  a  laborious,  wealthy, 
and  sober  people.  Two  hun- 
dred of  their  principal  men  at- 
tended at  the  coronation  of  Da- 
vid, and  brought  much  provi- 
sion with  them.  A  number  of 
them  attended  the  solemn  pass- 
over  of  Hezekiah,  2  Chron. 
xxx,  18.  This  tribe  inherit- 
ed a  fruitful  soil,  watered  by  the 
Jordan,  the  Kishon,  and  several 
other  streams.  Several  cele- 
brated mountains  were  in  this 
tribe,  as  Gilboa,  Carmel,  &c. 
Here  were  also  several  famous 
vallies,  as  Jezreel  and  Megiddo. 

ITHNAN,  a  town  of  Judea, 
in  the  tribe  of  Judah. 
^  ITTAH  KAZIN,  a  town  of 
Canaan,  in  the  tribe  of  Zebulon. 

ITALY,  see  Rome. 

ITUREA,  a  province  of  Sy- 
ria, between  Damascus  and  the 
tribe  of  Manasseh,  to  the  east 
of  the  Batanea,  and  south  of  the 
Trachonites.  Philip,  one  of 
Herod's  sons, was  tetrarch  of  Itu- 
rea,  when  St.  John  the  Baptist, 
entered  upon  his  ministry. Luke 
iii,  1.  This  country  was  much 
the  same,  as  the  kingdom  of 
Bahan,  it  was  an  extensive  tract, 
and  given  to  the  half  tribe  of 


JAB 


JAH 


Manasseh,onthe  east  of  Jordan. 
Aristobulus,  king  or  prince  of 
the  Jews,  and  son  of  'Hyrcanus, 
early  in  his  reign,  made  war 
upon  the  Itureans,  and  subdu- 
ed a  great  part  of  them.  He 
gave  them  their  choice,  either 
to  quit  their  country,  or  em- 
brace the  religion  of  the  Jews. 
They  chose  to  be  circumcised, 
rather  than  to  march,  and  seek 
a  new  settlement. 

IV AH,  a  kingdom  mention- 
ed 2  Kings  xix,  13.  Where  is 
the  king  of  Hamath  and — Ivah? 
But  where  it  was,  or  what  was 
its  character  we  need  informa- 
tion.    See  Ava. 

JAAKAN,  or  Bene-Ja- 
akan,  an  encampment  of  Is- 
rael, between  Gidgad,  and 
Moseroth. 

JABBOK,  a  brook  on  the 
east  of  the  Jordan,  the  spring 
of  which  is  in  the  mountains 
of  Gilead.  It  falls  into  the  Jor- 
dan a  little  south  from  the  sea 
of  Tiberias.  Near  this  brook 
the  patriarch  Jacob  wrestled 
with  the  angel,  and  prevailed 
like  a  prince,  Gen.  xxxii,  22. 
The  Jabbok  separated  the  land 
of  the  Ammonites  from  the 
Gaulanites,  and  of  Og  king  of 
Bashan.    Lat.  32,  20. 

JABESH,  or  Jabesh-gil- 
ead,  was  the  name  of  a  city, 
in  the  half  tribe  of  Manasseh, 
beyond  Jordan.  The  scripture 
generally  calls  it  Jabesh-gilead, 


because  it  lay  in  Gilead,  at  the 
foot  of  the  mountains,  which  go 
by  this  name.  Eusebius  places 
it  six  miles  from  Pella,  towards 
Gerasa,  and  consequently  it 
must  be  eastward  of  the  sea  of 
Tiberias. 

JABNEEL,  a  town  upon 
the  frontiers  of  Naphtali,  Josh, 
xix,  33.  There  is  another  of 
the  same  name  in  the  tribe  of 
Judah,  Josh,  xv,  11. 

JACOB'S  WELL  or 
FOUNTAIN,  a  well  near  She- 
chem,  at  which  our  Savior  con- 
versed with  the  woman  of  Sa- 
maria, John  iv,  12.  Jacob 
dwelt  near  this  place,  before 
his  sons  slew  the  inhabitants  of 
Shechem.  Formerly  a  church 
stood  over  this  well,  built  in 
the  form  of  a  cross.  They 
pretend  to  show  the  bucket, 
used  by  the  woman  of  Samaria^ 
when  she  conversed  here  with 
Jesus  Christ.  The  sick  fre- 
quented this  well,  supposing, 
its  water  had  a  medicinal  pow- 
er. The  church  has  gone  to 
ruin.  This  well  is  in  the  nar- 
row valley  between  Gerizim 
and  Ebal,  one  mile  and  a  half 
from  Sichem.  The  well  is 
sunk  into  a  solid  rock,  three 
yards  diameter,  and  thirty-five 
deep.  Maundrell. 

JADUR,  a  city  of  Palestine, 
belonging  to  the  tribe  of  Judah, 
Josh,  xv,  21. 

JAHAZ,  Jahaziah,oiJah- 


JAM 


JAP 


za,  probably  the  Ziza  of  Ptol- 
emy, a  city  near  Aroer,  be- 
tween Medeba  and  Diblathaim 
on  the  north  frontier  of  Moab, 
beyond  Jordan,  near  which  Si- 
hon  was  defeated  by  Moses;  it 
was  given  to  the  tribe  of  Reu- 
ben, Numb,  xxi,  23,  and  Dent, 
ii,  32.  This  is  thought  to  be 
the  same  with  Jahzah,  situated 
to  the  north,  and  pretty  near 
Arof  the  Moabites,  Josh,  xiii, 
18.  It  was  given  up  to  the  Le- 
vites,  1  Chr.  vi,  73.  Jahaz  was 
ravaged  by  the  Assyrians  and 
Chaldeans,  Isa.  xv,  4. 

JAHAZAH,  a  city  of  the 
priests  in  Palestine;  but  where 
situated,  it  does  not  certainly 
appear,  probably,  however,  it 
was  the  same  as  the  above  place. 

JAMNIA,  a  maritime  town 
in  Palestine,  situated  between 
Azotus  and  Joppa.  It  has  a 
pretty  good  haven.  We  do 
not  meet  with  the  name  of 
this  place  in  the  Hebrew 
text  of  Joshua,  though  we 
find  it  in  the  Greek,  xv,  45. 
Josephus  says  it  was  given,  up- 
on the  division,  to  the  tribe  of 
Dan.  We  read  in  the  second 
book  of  Maccabees,  xii,  9,  that 
the  port  of  Jamnia  was  thirty 
miles  from  Jerusalem.  When 
Christianity  flourished  here,  this 
place  was  the  residence  of  a 
bishop.  The  following  is  Dr. 
Wittman's  account  of  Yebna, 
which  appears  to  be  the  ancient 


Jabnia  or  Jamnia.  Yebna,  saith 
he,  is  a  village  about  twelve 
miles  from  Jaffa,  [Joppa]  in  a 
fine  plain,  surrounded  by  hills, 
and  covered  with  herbage;  a 
rivulet  formed  by  the  ruins  sup- 
plies it  with  water.  It  is  con- 
jectured that  the  rock  Etam, 
where  Sampson  was  surprised 
by  the  Philistines,  was  not  far 
from  this  place.  North-east 
from  Yebna  is  a  lofty  hill, 
from  which  isa  view  of  Bam- 
la,  five  miles  distant.  From  a 
hill  of  easy  ascent  on  the  bor- 
der of  the  plain,  Yebna,  Ek- 
ron,  Ashdod,  and  Askelon, 
were  all  in  sight.     Lat.  32. 

JANSHAH,  a  city  in  the 
tribe  of  Ephraim,upon  the  fron- 
tiers of  the  half  tribe  of  Manas- 
seh,  Josh.xvi,  6.  It  was  twelve 
miles  east  from  Shechem,  and 
was  taken  and  ruined  by  Tig- 
lath-pileser,  king  of  Assyria, 
2  Kings  xv,  29. 

JANUM,  a  city  of  Palestine 
in  the  tribe  of  Judah. 

J APHETH,a province  men- 
tioned  by  Judith,  ii,25.  Geog- 
raphers confess  their  ignorance 
of  this  province,wherefore  some 
read  it  Jephlath,  or  Japha,  or 
Jaffa. 

JAPHIA,  a  city  of  Galilee 
in  the  tribe  of  Zebulon,  Josh* 
xix,  12,  not  far  from  Jotapata. 
This  city  was  taken  and  cruel- 
ly ravaged  bv  the  Romans. 

JAPHLETI,  a  town  on  the 


JAZ 


JEB 


frontiers  of  Benjamin  and  Eph- 
raim,  Josh,  xvi,  3.  The  king 
of  this  city  was  slain  by  Joshua. 

JAPHO,a  town  of  Canaan, in 
the  tribe  of  Dan,  Josh,  xix,  46. 

JARMUTH,  or  Jaramith, 
a  city  of  Judah,  whose  king 
was  killed  by  Joshua,  x,  5.  It 
is  ten  miles  from  Eleuthero- 
polis,  north-east,  and  as  many 
south-west  from  Jerusalem. 
In  the  fourth  century  it  was  yet 
a  village. 

Jarmouth,  a  city  of  Pales- 
tine in  the  tribe  of  Issachar;  it 
was  given  to  the  Levites,  as  a 
sacerdotal  city,  and  it  was  also  a 
city  of  refuge.  It  is  supposed 
this  may  be  the  same  asRamoth. 

JATTIR,  a  city  in  the  tribe 
of  Dan,  Josh,  xv,  48.  It  was 
afterwards  given  to  the  Levites 
of  Kohath's  family,  Josh,  xxi, 
14.  Eusebius  says,  that  Jattir 
or  Jether,  or  Jethira,  is  situated 
in  the  canton  called  Daroma,  to- 
wards the  city  of  Malatha, twen- 
ty miles  from  Eleutheropolis. 
It  is  probably  the  same  as  Eth- 
er or  Athar.    CalmeVs  Diet. 

JAVAN.    See  Greece. 

JAZER,  a  city  beyond  Jor- 
dan, given  to  the  tribe  of  Gad, 
and  afterwards  to  the  Levites, 
Josh,  xxi,  30,  and  xiii,  25.  It 
lay  at  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tains of  Gilead,  near  a  brook 
of  the  same  name,  which  falls 
into  the  Jordan.  Eusebius  and 
Jerome  say,  it  lay  eight  miles 


west  from  Philadelphia,  and  fif- 
teen from  Heshbon,  and  a  little 
south  of  Ramoth  Gilead,  at  the 
head  of  a  large  river, which  fell 
into  the  Jordan,  and  since  we 
read  of  the  sea  of  Jazer,  it  is 
probable  the  town  stood  near 
the  lake,  which  was  the  head 
of  the  river.  Jerome  says,  that 
Jazer  was  remaining  in  his  day. 
Lat.  31,  53. 

Jazer,  sea  of,  the  Hebre  ws 
called  all  considerable  waters, 
as  rivers,  ponds,  lakes,  seas. 
This  sea  was  a  lake  mentioned 
Jer.  xlviii,  32,  it  lay  east  of  the 
tribe  of  Gad,  in  the  north-east 
part  of  Canaan. 

JEARIM,  mount  Jearim  of 
Judah,  it  might  denote  a  woody 
mountain,  or  that  on  which 
Kirjath-Jearim  was  built. 

JEBUS,  otherwise  Jerusa- 
lem, one  of  the  oldest  cities 
in  the  world.  See  Jerusalem. 
Jebus  was  founded  by  Jebus 
the  son  of  Canaan,  and  father 
of  the  Jebusites. 

JEBUSITES,  a  people  de- 
scended from  Jebus,  who  were 
settled  in  Jerusalem  and  the 
neighboring  mountains.  They 
were  a  warlike  people,  and 
withstood  the  arms  of  Israel, 
and  retained  Jerusalem  in  their 
possession,  till  the  time  of  Da- 
vid. Even  then  this  diminish- 
ed tribe  of  Canaanites  displayed 
a  daring  temper;  they  rudely 
insulted  him,  as  if  their  blind 


JEtt 


JER 


and  lame  could  defend  their 
strong  walls  against  his  army. 
Joab,  however,  took  the  place; 
but  some  of  them  were  proba- 
bly spared,  of  whom  was  A- 
raunah,  2  Sam.  v,  and  xxiv. 

JEHIED,  a  city  of  Palestine, 
in  the  tribe  of  Dan. 

JEHOSHEPHAT,  valley 
of,  called  also  the  valley  of 
Kidron,  because  the  brook  Ki- 
dron  runs  through  it,  it  lies  on 
the  east  of  Jerusalem  between 
the  city  and  the  mount  of  Ol- 
ives. 

JEGAR-SAHADUTHA, 
the  name  given  by  Laban  to  a 
heap  or  circle  of  stones  erected 
by  him  and  Jacob,  as  witness 
of  an  agreement  between  them. 

JERICHO,  a  city  of  Judea, 
between  Jordan  and  Jerusalem. 
Josephus  says,  the  whole  space 
from  Jerusalem  is  desert  and 
rocky,  and  equally  uncultivated 
and  barren,  between  Jericho 
and  Asphaltites.  Yet  the  places 
near  the  town  and  above  it  are 
extremely  fertile  and  delicious, 
so  that  it  may  justly  be  called 
a  divine  plain,  surpassing  all 
the  other  lands  in  Canaan,  sur- 
rounded by  hills  in  the  manner 
of  an  amphitheatre.  It  pro- 
duces opo-balsamum  myroba- 
lans,  and  dates.  In  modern 
times  this  place  is  called  Ruha, 
and  Mr.  Volney  informs  us  it 
is  situated  in  a  plain  6  or  7 
leagues  long,  and  3  wide,  a- 


round  which  are  a  number  of 
barren  mountains,  which  ren- 
der it  extremely  hot.  Here 
was  formerly  cultivated  the 
balm  of  Mecca.  From  the  de- 
scription of  the  hadgis,  this  is 
a  shrub  similar  to  the  pome- 
granite  tree,  with  leaves  like 
those  of  rue;  it  bears  a  pulpy- 
nut,  in  which  is  contained  a 
kernel,  which  yields  the  resin- 
ous juice,  called  balm  or  bal- 
sam. At  present  not  a  plant 
of  it  is  remaining  in  Jericho; 
but  there  is  another  species 
Zakkowi,  which  produces  a 
sweet  oil,  celebrated  for  healing 
wounds.  The  Zakkoun  re- 
sembles a  plum  tree;  it  has 
thorns  four  inches  long,  with 
leaves  like  those  of  the  olive 
tree;  but  narrower  and  greener, 
and  prickly  at  the  end;  its  fruit 
is  a  kind  of  acorn,  without  a 
calyx,  under  the  bark  of  which 
is  a  pulp  and  then  a  nut,  the 
kernel  of  which  affords  the  oil, 
which  the  Arabs  sell  at  so  dear 
a  rate.  This  is  the  sole  com- 
merce of  the  place. 

This  city  was  in  the  tribe  of 
Benjamin,  about  seven  leagues 
from  Jerusalem,  and  two  from 
Jordan,  Josh,  xviii,  21.  Moses 
calls  it  the  citv  of  Palm  trees, 
Deut.  xxxiv,  3,  by  reason  of 
the  great  number  of  these  trees, 
growing  in  the  plain  of  Jericho. 
Josephus  says,  that  in  the  ter- 
ritory belonging  to  this  city, 


JER 


JEU 


there  were  not  only  many- 
palm  trees,  but  likewise  the 
balsam  tree,  which  produced 
that  precious  liquor,  so  much 
esteemed  by  the  ancients.  The 
valley  of  Jericho  was  water- 
ed with  the  rivulet,  which 
formerly  was  salt  and  bitter, 
but  was  afterwards  sweetened 
by  the  prophet  Elisha,  2  Kings 
ii,  19,  and  its  waters  render- 
ed the  plain  of  Jericho  not 
only  one  of  the  most  agreea- 
ble, but  one  of  the  most  fer- 
tile spots  of  that  country.  Jeri- 
cho was  the  first  city  in  the 
land  of  Canaan,  taken  by  Josh- 
ua, ii,  1,  2.  Joshua  cursed 
the  man,  before  the  Lord,  who 
should  raise  up  and  rebuild  Jer- 
icho; "Let  his  first  born  die, 
said  he,  while  he  lays  the  foun- 
dation of  it,  and  may  he  lose 
his  youngest  child,  when  he 
setteth  up  the  gates."  The 
imprecation  of  Joshua  was  not 
vain,  for  Hiel  of  Bethel  about 
530  years  after  this,  having 
undertook  to  rebuild  Jericho, 
lost  his  eldest  son  Abiram,  as 
he  was  laying  the  foundations, 
and  his  youngest  son  Segub, 
when  he  hung  the  gates.  There 
was  however,  some  other  city 
of  this  name  in  the  tribe  of 
Benjamin,  before  the  time  of 
Hiel.  There  was  a  city  of' 
Palm  trees  in  the  time  of  the 
Judges  iii,  13.  David's  am- 
bassadors,   who  had  been  in- 


sulted by  the  Ammonites,  a- 
bode  at  Jericho,  till  their  beards 
were  grown  again.  Josephus 
sufficiently  distinguishes  these 
two  places.  After  Hiel  had 
repaired  old  Jericho,  nobody 
made  any  scruple  of  dwelling 
there.  Our  Savior  wrought 
some  miracles  at  Jericho,  and 
there  it  was  that  he  was  invited 
to  abide  with  Zaccheus.  Eu- 
sebius,  however,  instead  of 
supposing  there  were  two  cit- 
ies in  different  places  of  this 
name,  asserts  that  the  city 
built  by  Hiel,  which  was  hon- 
ored with  the  visits  of  our  Sav- 
ior, was  destroyed  for  the 
treachery  of  the  inhabitants, 
during  the  siege  of  Jerusalem 
by  the  Romans.  The  city 
standing  in  his  day,  and  which 
is  now  a  sorry  village,  was  a 
third  city  built  since  the  de- 
struction of  Jerusalem;  not  on 
the  very  scite  of  the  iormer,  for 
the  ruins  of  both  the  former 
cities  were  then  to  be  seen. 

In  A.  D.  1659,  Jericho  was 
thus  described  by  D'Arvieux. 
After  having  travelled  a  quarter 
of  a  league  in  a  plain,  we  en- 
camped near  the  gardens  of 
Jericho  by  the  side  of  a  small 
brook,  and  while  our  supper 
was  preparing,  we  walked  in 
the  gardens  and  among  the  ru- 
ins of  Jericho.  This  very  an- 
cient city  is  now  desolate,  and 
consists  of  only  about  fifty  poor 


JER 


JER 


houses  in  a  bad  condition ,  in 
which  the  laborers,  who  culti- 
vate the  gardens,  shelter  them- 
selves. The  plain  around  is 
extremely  fertile,  and  watered 
by  several  rivulets,  which  run 
into  the  Jordan;  yet  with  all 
these  advantages  only  the  gar- 
dens, which  lie  near  the  town 
are  cultivated.  We  saw  here 
abundance  of  trees,  which  bear 
fruit  as  large  as  plums,  the 
stones  are  pounded,  and  yield 
an  oil,  which  is  a  kind  of  bal- 
sam, excellent  for  bruises,  cold 
humors,  nervous  contractions, 
and  rheumatism.  We  visited 
the  fountain  of  Elisha  the  pro- 
phet, which  for  ages  has  fur- 
nished the  gardens  with  water. 
The  head  of  these  waters  is  en- 
closed in  a  basin  of  triangular 
figure,  each  side  being  about 
three  fathoms  long.  It  is  lined 
with  hewn  stone.  There  is  an 
orifice  in  one  side,  through 
which  the  water  issues  in  a 
stream,  large  enough  to  turn  a 
mill.  It  is  said  the  water  enters 
the  basin  through  various  o- 
penings,  but  its  depth  prevents 
an  examination.  We  found  in 
this  basin  fishes  of  a  middling 
size,  and  cray-fish,  which  are 
so  tame,  that  they  come  to  the 
edge  of  the  bank,  when  they 
perceive  any  body  sitting  and 
eating  there.  The  country 
people  have  taught  them  this 
familiarity,   by   always  giving 


them  a  share  of  their  food.  It 
is  strictly  forbidden  to  all  Chris- 
tians to  take  these  fish,  or  even 
to  frighten  them.  The  Greeks 
would  infallibly  excommuni- 
cate the  man  who  should  trans- 
gress this  order.  The  peasants 
resort  here  from  their  labors  to 
eat  their  meals  in  the  hot  sea- 
son, the  fountain  being  shaded 
by  a  large  fig  tree.  Were  it 
not  for  the  shade  of  this  tree, 
the  water  would  be  too  hot  to 
be  drunk. 

The  brook  of  Elisha,  says 
Dr.  Shaw,  which  flows  from 
the  mountain  of  Quarantania, 
and  waters  the  gardens  of  Jeri- 
cho with  its  plantation  of  plum 
trees  and  date  trees,  hath  its 
banks  adorned  with  several  spe- 
cies of  brook-thyme,  water- 
cresses,  betony,  and  other  a- 
quatic  plants,  resembling  the 
same  in  England. 

The  situation  of  Jericho  was 
pleasant,  which  might  tempt 
Hiel  to  encounter  the  danger 
of  building  it,  which  circum- 
stance might  also  induce  the 
prophets  to  establish  a  Theolo- 
gical Seminary,  or  school  of  the 
prophets  in  this  town.  The 
talmud  of  Jerusalem  says,  there 
were  twelve  thousand  priests 
at  Jericho  to  supply  the  temple 
at  Jerusalem.  A  singular  mis- 
fortune was,  the  place  had  no 
good  water,  the  ground  was 
barren.     Elisha  healed  the  wa- 


JEft 


JEft 


ters,  since  which  the  water  has 
been  sweet  and  refreshing,  and 
the  grounds,  which  are  water- 
ed, have  become  fruitful.  Jo- 
sephus  says  that  in  his  time  the 
country  around  was  furnished 
with  curious  gardens,  and  thick 
groves  of  palm  trees,  and  that 
great  quantities  of  balsam,  the 
choicest  commodity  of  the 
country,  were  produced  there. 
In  the  last  days  of  the  Jewish 
government  this  city  was  reck- 
oned next  to  Jerusalem .  It  had 
splendid  palaces  and  theatres, 
and  other  magnificent  build- 
ings; here  Herod  the  Great  di- 
ed. Mr.  Volney  says,  it  is 
now  a  ruinous  village.  Mr. 
Maimdrell  tells  us,  that  now 
Jericho  is  only  a  poor,  dirty  vil- 
lage, inhabited  by  Arabs.  He 
was  shown  the  house  of  Zac- 
cheus,  which  is  a  square  build- 
ing of  stone,  on  the  south  side 
of  the  town.  He  says  that  the 
fountain,  whose  water  was  ren- 
dered good  by  the  prophet,  is- 
sues in  great  plenty,  and  is  sep- 
arated into  small  streams  and 
conduits,  through  the  fields 
which  are  by  this  measure,  ren- 
dered very  productive.  The 
country  between  this  place  and 
Jerusalem  is  a  rocky  desert, 
and  anciently  was  much  in- 
fested with  robbers.  This 
probably  induced  the  Savior  to 
lay  the  scene  of  the  good  Sa- 
maritan's benevolence    on  this 


road.  "A  certain  man  went 
down  from  Jeiusalem  to  Jeri- 
cho, and  fell  among  thieves" 
Luke  x,  30. 

JERIMOTH,  a  city  of  Ju- 
dah,  Josh,  xv,  35. 

JERUSALEM,  a  very  fa- 
mous and  ancient  city,  capital 
of  Judea,  now  a  province  of 
Turkey  in  Asia.  According  to 
Menetho,  an  Egyptian  histo- 
rian, it  was  founded  by  the 
shepherds,  who  invaded  Egvpt, 
in  an  unknown  period  of  an- 
tiquity, probably  while  the  Is- 
raelites were  there.  Accord- 
ing to  Josephus,  it  was  the  cap- 
ital of  Melchisedeck's  kingdom, 
called  Salem  in  the  book  of 
Genesis.  And  the  Arabians 
assert,  that  it  was  built  in  honor 
of  Melchisedeck  by  twelve 
neighboring  kings;  which  he 
called  Jerusalem.  We  know 
nothing  of  ir  with  certainty, 
however,  till  the  time  of  king 
David,  who  took  it  from  hqs 
Jebusites,  and  made  it  the  cap- 
ital of  his  kingdom.  It  was 
first  taken  in  the  days  of  Jeho- 
ash,  by  Hazael  the  king  of 
Syria,  who  slew  all  their  nobil- 
ity, but  did  not  destroy  their 
city.  It  was  afterwards  taken 
by  Nebuchadnezzar,  king  of 
Babylon,  who  destroyed  it,  and 
carried  away  the  inhabitants. 
Seventy  years  after,  permission 
was  granted  by  Cyrus  king  of 
Persia  to  the  Jews,  to  rebuild 


JEM 


.TEH 


their  city,  which  was  done,  and 
it  continued  the  capital  of  Ju- 
dca  till  the  time  of  Vespasian, 
emperor  of  Rome,  by  whose 
son,  Ticus,  it  was  totally  de- 
stroyed. Under  the  emperor 
Tiberias,  Pontius  Pilate,  being 
president  of  Judea,  for  the  Ro- 
mans, our  Lord  and  Savior 
Jesus  Christ,  at  the  age  of  33, 
was  condemned  to  death  on  the 
false  accusation  of  the*  Jews, 
and  cruciiied  on  mount  Calva- 
ry, which  was  then  without  the 
walls  of  the  city.  In  the  year 
66,  of  the  Christian  era,  and 
the  twelfth  of  the  reign  of  Ne- 
ro, Gessius  Florus,  the  procu- 
rator of  Judea,  had  by  his  in- 
justice and  extortion,  reduced 
that  rich  country  to  a  misera- 
ble condition;  and  adding  cru- 
elty to  rapine,  was  the  princi- 
pal cause  of  the  Hebrews  at- 
tempting to  throw  off  the  Ro- 
man yoke.  Being  declared 
rebels,  they  began  to  commit 
every  kind  of  iniquity.  The 
Romans  employed  the  severest 
punishments,  to  reduce  these 
people  to  obedience,  but  still 
without  effect.  Having  attack- 
ed Cestus  Gallus,  the  governor 
of  Syria,  they  obliged  him  to 
retire;  and  this  success,  inspir- 
ed them  with  fresh  hopes  and 
courage.  The  flames  of  war 
being  thus  kindled  in  Judea, 
Nero  intrusted  the  management 
of  it.  to  his  general  Vespasian, 
28 


who,  accompanied  by  his  son 
Titus,  and  a  powerful  army, 
arrived  in  Syria,  in  the  year 
67,  of  the  Christian  era.  Ves- 
pasian, soon  after  being  chosen 
emperor,  sent  orders  to  his  son 
Titus,  to  continue  the  war  a- 
gainst  the  Hebrews,  who  set 
out  for  Rome,  where  he  arrived 
amidst  the  acclamations  of  the 
populace,  in  the  year  70  of  the 
Christian  era.  Jerusalem,  at 
this  time,  was  torn  by  different 
contending  factions,  and  a  prey 
to  all  the  miseries  of  a  civil 
war,  within  in  its  own  walls. 
Nothing  was  seen  throughout 
the  whole  city  but  slaughter, 
tumult,  and  murder;  while 
patriotism  was  made  a  pretence 
for  committing  every  species 
of  atrocity.  In  this  miserable 
state  was  the  city  of  Jerusalem, 
and  all  Judea,  when,  on  the 
14th  of  April,  in  the  year  70, 
Titus  undertook  the  siege  of 
the  former,  having  encamped 
at  the  distance  of  7  stadia,  or  a 
mile  from  it.  On  the  4th  of 
May,  Titus  made  himself  mas- 
ter oi*  the  first  wall  of  Jerusa- 
lem, and  caused  a  great  part  of 
it  towards  the  north  to  be  de- 
molished. Notwithstanding 
this  success,  he  offered  very 
favorable  terms  to  the  besieged, 
if  they  would  submit;  but  his 
offer  was  rejected.  Five  days 
after  he  took  the  second  wall, 
from  which,  he  was  however 


JER 


JER 


repulsed;  but  in  four  days 
more,  he  regained  and  demol- 
ished what  remained  of  it  in 
the  northern  quarter.  Having 
failed  in  his  attempt,  to  batter 
down  the  third  wall,  Titus 
made  new  proposals  to  the  He- 
brews, through  the  medium  of 
Flavius  Josephus,  who  had 
been  taken  prisoner,  and  after 
receiving  his  liberty,  had  at- 
tached himself  to  the  Romans, 
and  was  with  Titus  in  his  en- 
campment. The  greater  part 
of  the  people  were  inclined  to 
accept  the  easy  conditions,  pro- 
posed them  by  Josephus,  in 
the  name  of  the  emperor,  but 
being  opposed  by  some  zealots, 
Josephus  was  treated  with  ev- 
ery mark  of  indignity  and  re- 
proach. After  this  behavior, 
there  remained  no  more  mercy 
for  the  Hebrews.  Titus  caused 
the  hands  of  those  who  had  vol- 
untarily sought  shelter  in  the 
Roman  camp  to  be  cut  off,  and 
sent  them  back  to  the  city, 
and  others  were  crucified  in  the 
sight  of  their  countrymen. 
Famine,  in  the  mean  time,  be- 
gan to  make  dreadful  havoc 
among  the  people.  The  effects 
of  hunger  were  so  great,  that  a 
noble  lady  called  Mary,  devour- 
ed the  flesh  of  her  own  son; 
this  action  appeared  so  unnat- 
ural to  Titus,  that  he  swore  he 
would  bury  the  remembrance 
*»f  it  under  the  ruins  of  Jerusa- 


lem. In  order  to  hasten  the 
capture  of  the  city,  he  caused 
all  the  trees,  which  were  within 
the  distance  of  some  miles,  from 
Jerusalem,  to  be  cut  down,  and 
employed  them  in  his  machines 
and  military  works.  Having 
made  every  necessary  disposi- 
tion for  continuing  his  opera- 
tions with  vigor,  he  applied  his 
battering  rams  to  the  third 
wall,  that  is  to  say,  the  wall  en- 
closing the  fortress,  and  made 
himself  master  of  the  tower 
called  Antonia.  The  Romans 
being  desirous  of  getting  pos- 
session of  the  temple,  without 
destroying  it,  were  obliged  to 
sustain  a  fierce  conflict  in  it. 
But  a  soldier  instigated  by 
some  unknown  motive,  threw 
a  burning  torch  into  the  north- 
ern part  of  it,  where  there  was 
a  great  quantity  of  combustible 
materials,  by  which  means  it 
was  set  on  fire.  This  magnifi- 
cent building,  therefore  was  re- 
duced to  ashes,  and  the  He- 
brews, with  great  grief  and  sor- 
row, saw  a  monument  destroy- 
ed which  was  the  principal  ob- 
ject, that  had  animated  their 
hopes,  and  awakened  their  cour- 
age. In  short,  on  the  second 
of  September,  in  the  year  71 
of  the  Christian  era,  and  the 
2d  of  the  reign  of  Vespasian, 
the  city  of  Jerusalem,  fell  en- 
tirely into  the  hands  of  Titus. 
It  was  then  given  up  to  be  plun- 


JEK 


JEli 


dered  by  the  soldiers,  and  most 
of  its  inhabitants  were  put 
to  the  sword.  According  to 
the  order  of  Titus,  the  city  was 
destroyed  to  its  foundations, 
and  even  the  ruins  of  the  tem- 
ple were  demolished.  Josephus 
says,  that  the  number  of  pris- 
oners, taken  during  the 'whole 
time  of  the  war  was  97,000; 
and  the  number  killed  in  the 
city,  during  the  same  period, 
amounted  to  1,000,000;  but 
Tacitus,  who  lived  in  the  first 
century,  in  the  time  of  Vespa- 
sian and  Titus,  heard  it  report- 
ed, that  the  number  of  the  be- 
sieged, including  those  of  every 
age  and  sex,  was  only  600,000. 
Notwithstanding  the  destruc- 
tion of  their  country,  a  good 
many  Jews  remained  in  it,  and 
even  in  Jerusalem,  or  rather  in 
new  buildings,  which  they 
erected  amidst  the  ruins  of  the 
city;  but  they  now  paid  tribute 
to  the  Romans,  and  were  en- 
tirely subject  to  their  laws. 
In  the  year  118,  they  attempt- 
ed to  rebel,  but  were  soon 
overcome  by  Tinius  Rufus,  the 
Roman  president  in  Palestine. 
On  account  of  the  turbulent 
disposition  of  these  people, 
Adrian,  it  appears,  highly  in- 
censed at  their  conduct,  resol- 
ved the  same  year  to  level  the 
city  of  Jerusalem  with  the 
ground;  that  is  to  say,  those 
new  buildings,  erected  by  the 


Hebrews,  to  destroy  three  towns 
left  by  Titus,  for  the  con- 
venience of  the  Roman  garri- 
son, and  to  sow  salt  in  the 
ground,  on  which  the  place  had 
stood.  Whatever  may  have 
been  the  cause  that  induced 
Adrian,  to  make  this  devasta- 
tion, and  to  show  so  much  re- 
sentment, against  the  remains 
of  a  wretched  nation,  he  fulfilled 
the  prophecy  of  our  Savior,  who 
foretold,  that  neither  in  the  city, 
nor  the  temple  should  one 
stone  be  left  upon  another. 
This,  therefore,  may  be  called 
the  final  destruction  of  Jerusa- 
lem, which  took  place  forty- 
seven  years  after  that  of  Titus. 
In  the  year  614,  the  Persians 
came  before  Jerusalem,  which 
having  fallen  into  their  hands, 
was  sacked  and  plundered. 
Ninety  thousand  Christians,  of 
both  sexes,  and  all  ages  and 
conditions,  were  made  slaves 
in  this  war,  and  sold  by  the 
Persians  to  the  Jews;  who  con- 
trary to  the  laws  of  humanity, 
butchered  them  in  a  cruel  man- 
ner. In  the  year  628,  Jerusa- 
lem was  restored  to  the  Em- 
peror Heraclius,  who  banished 
all  the  Jews,  and  interdicted 
them  from  approaching  within 
three  miles  of  the  city. 

It  was  however,  rebuilt  by 
Adrian;  and  seemed  likely  to, 
have  recovered  its  former  gran* 
deur,  being    surrounded  with 


JER 


JER 


walls,  and  adorned  with  several 
noble  buildings;  the  Christians 
also  being  permitted  to  settle  in 
it.  But  this  was  a  short  lived 
change;  so  that  when  the  em- 
press Helena,  "mother  of  Con- 
stantine  the  Great,  came  to  visit 
this  city,  she  found  it  in  a  most 
forlorn  and  ruinous  situation. 
Having  formed  a  design  of  re- 
storing it  to  its  ancient  lustre, 
she  caused  with  a  great  deal  of 
cost  and  labor,  all  the  rubbish 
that  had  been  thrown  upon 
those  places  where  our  Savior 
had  suffered,  &c.  to  be  remov- 
ed. In  doing  this  they  found 
the  cross  on  which  he  died,  as 
well  as  those  of  the  two  male- 
factors, who  suffered  with  him; 
and  as  the  writers  of  those 
times  relate,  discovered  by  a 
miracle,  that  which  had  borne 
the  Savior  of  mankind.  She 
then  caused  a  magnificent 
church  to  be  built,  which  en- 
closed as  many  of  the  scenes  of 
our  Savior's  sufferings  as  could 
conveniently  be  done,  and  a- 
dorned  the  city  with  several 
other  buildings.  The  emperor 
Julian  is  said  to  have  formed  a 
design  of  rebuilding  the  temple 
and  city  of  Jerusalem,  and  of 
restoring  the  Jewish  warship. 
This  scheme  was  contrived,  on 
purpose  to  give  the  lie  to  our 
Savior's  prophecy,  concerning 
the  temple  and  city  of  Jerusa- 
lem,   liamelv.    that    the    first 


should  be  totally  destroyed, 
without  one  stone  being  left 
upon  another;  and  that  "Jeru- 
salem should  be  trodden  down 
of  the  Gentiles,  till  the  time  of 
the  Gentiles  were  fulfilled."  In 
this  attempt,  however,  accord- 
ing to  the  accountsof  the  Chris- 
tian writers  of  that  age,  the  em- 
peror was  fru  stated  by  an  earth- 
quake and  fiery  eruption  from 
the  earth,  which  totally  de- 
stroyed the  work,  consumed 
the  materials  which  had  been 
collected,  and  killed  a  great 
number  of  the  workmen. 
This  event  has  been  the  sub- 
ject of  much  dispute.  Mr. 
Warburton,  who  has  published 
a  treatise  expressly  on  the  truth 
of  this  fact,  has  collected  the 
following  testimonies  in  its  fa- 
vor. The  first,  is  that  of  Am- 
mianus  Marcellinus,  who  tells 
us,  "Julian  (having  been  already 
thrice  consul)  taking  Sallust, 
prefect  of  the  several  Gauls, 
for  his  colleague,  entered  a 
fourth  time  on  this  high  magis- 
tracy; and  although  his  sensi- 
bility of  the  many  and  great 
events,  which  this  year  was 
likely  to  produce,  made  him 
very  anxious  for  the  future, 
yet  he  both  pushed  on  the  vari- 
ous and  complicated  prepara- 
tions for  this  expedition  with 
the  utmost  application,  and, 
having  an  eye  in  every  quarter, 
and  being  desirous  to  eternise 


JER 


J  Eli 


his  reign  by  the  greatness  of  his 
achievements,  he  projected  to 
rebuild,  at  an  immense  ex- 
pense, the  proud  and  magnifi- 
cent temple  of  Jerusalem,  which 
had  been  with  great  difficulty, 
taken  and  destroyed  by  Titus. 
He  committed  the  conduct  of 
this  affair  to  Alypius  of  Anti- 
och,  who  had  formerly  been 
lieutenant  in  Britain.  When 
this  Alypius  had  set  himself  to 
the  vigorous  execution  of  bis 
charge,  in  which  he  had  all  the 
assistance  that  the  governor  of 
the  province  could  afford  him, 
horrible  balls  of  fire,  breaking 
out  near  the  foundations,  with 
frequent  and  reiterated  attacks, 
rendered  the  place  from  time 
to  time,  inaccessible  to  the 
scorched  and  blasted  workman; 
and  the  victorious  element  con- 
tinuing, in  this  same  manner, 
obstinately  and  resolutely  bent, 
as  it  were  to  drive  them  to  a 
distance,  Alypius  thought  best 
to  give  over  the  enterprise." 

The  next  testimony  is  that 
of  Gregory  Nazianzen,  speak- 
ing of  the  emperor  Julian,  he 
says,  "after  having  run  through 
a  course  of  every  other  tyran- 
nical experiment  against  the 
faith,  and  upon  trial  despising 
all  of  them,  as  trifling  and 
contemptible,  he  at  last 
brought  down  the  whole  body 
of  the  Jews  upon  us;  whom 
for  their  ancient  turn  to   sedi- 


tious novelties,  and  an  invet- 
erate hatred  of  the  Christian 
name,  he  chose  as  the  fittest 
instrument  of  his  machinations. 
These  under  a  show  of  great 
goodwill,  which  hid  his  secret 
purpose,  he  endeavored  to 
convince  from  their  sacred 
books  and  traditions,  which 
he  took  upon  him  to  interpret, 
that  now  was  come  the  time, 
foretold,  when  they  should  re- 
turn to  their  own  land,  rebuild 
their  temple,  and  restore  the 
law  to  its  ancient  force  and 
splendor.  When  these  things 
had  been  thoroughly  insinuated 
and  heartily  entertained,  (for 
deceit  finds  easy  admittance 
when  it  flatters  our  passions,) 
the  Jews  set  upon  the  work  of 
rebuilding  with  great  attention, 
and  pushed  on  the  project  with 
the  greatest  labor  and  applica- 
tion. But  when  now  driven 
from  their  work,  by  a  violent 
whirlwind,  and  a  sudden  earth- 
quake, they  fled  together  for 
refuge  to  a  certain  neighboring 
church,  (some  to  deprecate  the 
impending  mischief;  others  as 
is  natural  in  such  cases,  to  catch 
any  help,  that  presents  itself; 
and  others,  again,  inveloped  in 
the  crowd,  were  carried  along 
with  the  body  of  those  Who 
fled,)  there  are  who  say  the 
church  refused  them  entrance; 
and  that  when  they  came  tu 
the  doors,    which    were  ftride 


JER 


JER 


open,  but  a  moment  before, 
they  found  tliem  on  a  sudden 
closed  by  a  secret  and  invisible 
hand;  a  Hand  accustomed  to 
work  these  wonders  to  the  ter- 
ror and  confusion  of  the  impi- 
ous, and  for  the  security  and 
comfort  of  godly  men.  This, 
however,  is  now  invariably 
affirmed  and  believed  by  all,  that 
as  they  strove  to  force  their  way 
in  by  violence;  the  fire  which 
burst  from  the  foundations  of 
the  temple,  met  and  stopped 
them.  One  part  is  burnt  and 
destroyed,  and  another  is  des- 
perately maimed,  leaving  them 
a  living  monument  of  God's 
commination  and  wrath  against 
sinners.  Thus  the  affair  pas- 
sed; and  let  no  man  continue 
incredulous  concerning  this, 
or  other  miraculous  works  of 
God.  But  still  a  thins;  the  most 
wonderful  and  illustrious  was, 
a  light  which  appeared  in  the 
heavens,  of  a  cross  within  a  cir- 
cle. That  name  which  impi- 
ous men  before  esteemed  so 
dishonorable  upon  earth,  was 
now  raised  on  high,  and  equal- 
ly presented  to  the  common 
view  of  all  men;  advanced  by 
God  himelf  as  the  trophy  of  his 
victorv  over  unbelievers;  of 
all  trophies  the  most  exalted 
and  sublime.  Nay,  further, 
they  who  were  present,  and 
partakers  of  the  miracle,  we 
are   now   about    to  speak   of, 


show  to  this  very  day,  the  sign 
or  figure  of  the  cross  which 
was  then  marked  or  impressed 
upon  their  garments.  For  at 
that  time,  as  these  men,  (wheth- 
er such  as  were  of  us,  or  stran- 
gers) were  showing  these  marks, 
or  attending  to  others,  who 
showed  them,  each  presently 
observed  the  wonder,  either  on 
himself  or  his  neighbor;  having 
a  radiant  mark  on  his  body  or 
on  his  garment,  in  which  there 
is  something  that,  in  art  and 
elegance,  exceeded  all  paint- 
ing or  embroidery.  Notwith- 
standing these  testimonies, 
however,  this  fact  hath  been 
strenuously  contested  by  qth, 
ers,  and  indeed  it  must  be 
owned,  that  the  testimonies  a- 
bovementioned  are  by  no  means 
unexceptionable.  In  the  last 
particular,  the  propensity  to  the 
marvellous  is  so  exceedingly 
great,  that  every  one  must  at 
first  sight,  be  struck  with  it. 
It  is  true  indeed,  the  most  mi- 
raculous part  of  it,  as  it  seemed 
to  be  to  Gregory,  namely,  the 
appearance  of  crosses  upon  the 
garments  and  bodies  of  some 
of  the  people,  who  were  struck, 
may  be  explained  upon  a  nat- 
ural principle,  since  we  are  as- 
sured that  lightning  will  some- 
times produce  effects  of  this 
kind:  Out  even  this  is  no  deci- 
sive proof  of  the  authenticity 
of  the  relation,  though  it  cannot 


JER 


JER 


by  anv  means  discredit  it,  as 
some  think.  On  the  whole, 
however,  it  is  not  a  matter  of 
any  consequence,  whether  this 
event  happened  with  the  cir- 
cumstances abovementioned  or 
not.  If  Julian  did  make  any 
attempt  to  rebuild  the  temple, 
it  is  certain  that  something  ob- 
structed the  attempt,  because 
the  temple  was  never  rebuilt. 
If  he  made  no  such  attempt, 
the  prophecy  of  our  Savior  still 
holds  good;  and  it  surely,  can- 
not be  thought  to  detract  from 
the  merit  of  a  prophecy,  that 
nobody  ever  attempted  to  elude 
it  or  prove  it  to  be  a  falsehood. 
Jerusalem,  in  its  most  flour- 
ishing state,  was  divided  into 
four  parts,  each  enclosed  with 
its  own  walls;  viz.  1.  the  old 
city  of  Jebus,  which  stood  on 
mount  Zion,  where  the  proph- 
ets dwelt,  and  where  David 
built  a  magnificent  castle  and 
palace,  which  became  the  resi- 
dence both  of  himself  and  suc- 
cessors, on  which  account,  it 
was  emphatically  called  the  city 
of  David.  2.  the  lower  citv, 
called  als©  the  daughter  of  Zi- 
on, being  built  after  it;  on 
which  stood  the  two  magnifi- 
cent palaces,  which  Solomon 
built  for  himself  and  his  queen, 
that  of  the  Maccabean  princes, 
and  the  stately  amphitheatre 
built  by  Herod,  capable  of  con- 
taining 30,000  spectators;  the 


strong  citadel  built  by  Antio- 
chus,  to  command  and  overtop 
the  temple,  but  afterwards 
razed  by  Simon  the  Maccabee, 
who  recovered  the  city  from 
the  Syrians;  and  lastly  a  sec- 
ond citadel,  built  by  Herod, 
upon  a  high  and  craggy  rock, 
and  called  by  him  Antonio* 
3d,  the  new  city,  mostly  inhab- 
ited by  tradesmen,  artificers, 
and  merchants;  and  4th,  Mount 
Moriah,  on  which  was  built  the 
famed  temple  of  Solomon,  and 
since  then,  that  built  by  the 
Jews  on  their  return  from  Bab- 
ylon, and  afterwards  built  al- 
most anew,  and  greatly  adorn- 
ed and  enriched  by  Herod. 

Some  idea  of  the  magnifi- 
cence of  this  temple*  may  be 
had  from  the  following  consid- 
erations. 1.  That  there  were 
no  less  than  163,300  men  em- 
ployed  in  the  work.  2.  That 
notwithstandingthat  prodigious 
number  of  hands,  it  was  seven 
whole  years  in  building.  3. 
That  the  height  of  this  build- 
ing was  120  cubits,  or  82  yards, 
rather  more,  than  less;  and  the 
courts  round  it,  about  half  as 
high.  4.  That  the  front,  on 
the  east  side,  was  sustained  by 
ramparts  of  square  stone,  of 
vast  bulk,  and  built  up  from 
the  valley  below,  which  last 
was  300  cubits  high,  and  being 
added  to  that  of  the  edifice 
amounted    to  420   cubits;    te> 


JER 


J  EH 


which  if  we  add,  5.  The  height 
of  the  principal  tower  above  all 
the  rest,  viz.  60,  will  bring  it 
to  480  cubits,  which  reckoning 
at  two  feet,,  to  a  cubit,  will  a- 
mount  to  950  feet;  but  accord- 
ing to  the  length  of  that  meas- 
ure, as  others  reckon  it,  viz.  at 
two  feet  and   a  half,  it  will  a- 
mount  to  1200  feet.  Well  might 
Josephus  say,  that  the  very  de- 
sign of  it  was  sufficient  to  have 
turned    the    brain  of  any  but 
Solomon.     6.  These  ramparts, 
which  were  raised  in  this  man- 
ner, to  fill  up  the  prodigious 
'chasm  made  by  the  deep  valley 
below,  and  to  make  the  area  of 
a  sufficient  breadth  and  length 
for  the  edifice,  were  1000  cubits 
in  length  at   the   bottom,  and 
800  at  the  top,  and  the  breadth 
of  them   100   more.     7.  The 
huge    buttresses,    which    sup- 
ported the  ramparts,  were  of 
the  same  height,  square  at  the 
top,  and  50  cubits  broad,  and 
jutted  out   150  cubits  at  the 
bottom.       8.    The  stones,  of 
which    they  were  built,  were, 
according  to  Josephus,  40  cu- 
bits long,  12  thick,  and  8  high, 
all   of  marble,   and    so  exqui- 
sitely joined,  that  they  seemed 
one  continued  piece,  or  rather 
polished  rock.  9.  According  to 
the  same  Jewish  historian,  there 
were  1453  columns  of  Parian 
marble,  and  twice  that  number 
of  pilasters,  and  of  such  thick- 


ness, that  three  men  could  hard- 
ly embrace  them,  and  their 
height  and  capitals  proportion- 
able, and  of  the  Corinthian  or- 
der. But  it  is  likely  Josephus, 
hath  given  us  these  two  last  ar- 
ticles, from  the  temple  of  Her- 
od, there  being  nothing  like 
them  mentioned  by  the  sacred 
historians,  but  a  great  deal  a- 
bout  the  prodigious  cedars  of 
Lebanon,  used  in  that  noble  ed- 
ifice, the  excellent  workman- 
ship of  them  adapted  to  their 
several  ends  and  designs,  to- 
gether with  their  buildings  and 
other  curious  ornaments.  The 
only  thing  wt  venture  to  add 
is,  what  is  affirmed  in  scripture, 
that  all  the  materials  of  this 
stupendous  fabric,were  furnish- 
ed and  adapted  to  their  several 
ends,  before  they  were  brought 
to  Jerusalem,  that  is,  the  stones 
in  their  quarries,  and  the  cedars 
in  Lebanon;  so  that  there  was 
no  noise  of  axe,  hammer,  or 
any  tool  heard  in  rearing  it. 
In  the  year  636,  Jerusalem 
was  taken  by  the  caliph  Omar; 
when  the  provinces  of  Syria  and 
Palestine  fell  entirely  into  the 
hands  of  the  Saracens;  the  city 
of  Jerusalem  was  for  several 
centuries  governed  by  the  ca- 
liphs. The  government  now 
became  entirely  Mahometan; 
and  Mahometan  Ism  was  the 
prevailing  religion  of  the  coun- 
try.  The  Turks,  after  they  had 


JER 


JER 


made  themselves  masters  of 
Damascus,  and  subdued  the 
whole  country  around,  carried 
their  arms  against  Jerusalem;' 
which  'they  took  in  the  year 
1076  of  the  Christian  era,  arrd 
of  the  Hegira,  469.  -At  the 
same  time  when  Jerusalem  was 
under  the  dominion  of  the 
Turks,  the  Christians,  who  re- 
sided in  it  were  exposed  to 
sueh  great  afflic'ioi.s,  that  their 
situation  was  worse,  than  when 
subject  to  the  Saracens.  Many 
of  the  western  Christians,  how- 
ever, still  continued  to  visit  the 
holy  places;  but  for  this  indul- 
gence they  were  obliged  to  pay 
a  very  heavy  tax.  In  the  year 
1093, among  the  many  pilgrims, 
who  resorted  to  Jerusalem, there 
was  a  French  monk,  of  the  city 
of  Amiens,  in  Picardy,  named 
Peter,  who  has  since  been  dis-* 
tinguished  by  the  name  of  Pe- 
ter the  Hermit.  Peter  depart- 
ed from  Syria,  in  the  year  1395, 
in  a  merchant  vessel,  bound  for 
Bari,  in  Apulia;  and  on  landing 
there  immediately  went  to  pope 
Urban  II,  to  whom  he  deliver- 
ed letters,  from  the  patriarch 
and  Christians  of  Jerusalem, 
requesting  his  assistance  and 
support.  At  the  same  time  he 
laid  before  him  in  the  most 
pathetic  terms, the  unhappy  sit- 
uation of  these  people,  and  in- 
formed him  in  what  manner 
they  were  insulted  and  oppres- 
29 


sed,  by  the  Mahometans, 
These  letters,  and  the  repre- 
sentations of  Peter  the  Hermit, 
made  such  an  impression  on  the 
pontiff's  heart,  that  he  resolved 
from  that  moment,  to  do  every 
thing  in  his  power  to  recover 
the  Holy  Land.  Peter  then 
went  to  various  courts,  and  ap- 
plied to  different  princes,  with 
a  view  of  engaging  them  in  the 
same  design,  and  in  every 
place  in  which  he  passed,  he 
preached  up  the  crusades. 

Though  the  effects  were  de- 
leterious, we  may  learn  the  a- 
mazing  power  of  eloquence, 
from  Peter  the  Hermit.  He 
had  visited  the  Holy  Land,  the 
city  of  Jerusalem,  and  the  tomb 
cf  his  Savior.  He  had  wit- 
nessed the  sufferings  of  Chris- 
tians in  that  country.  With 
his  heart  penetrated  and  over- 
whelmed with  the  subject,  he 
returned  to  Europe.  Travers- 
ing the  nations  of  Christendom, 
he  exhorted  them  to  deliver 
their  brethren  from  Mahome- 
tan oppression.  Expressive 
of  his  deep  concern  and  readi- 
ness to  endure  any  hardships 
for  the  relief  of  the  suffering 
Christians,  his  head  was  bare, 
his  feet  were  naked,  and  his 
meagre  body  wrapped  in  a 
coarse  garment.  Thousands 
thronged  around  him;  he  des- 
cribed the  woes  of  the  saints 
in  Jerusalem,  and  Europe  was 


JRR 


JEB. 


roused.  He  mentioned  the 
profanation  of  their  Savior's 
tomb,  and  they  were  melted 
into  tears.  He  conjured  them 
to  prove  themselves  the  sol- 
diers of  Jesus  Christ,  and  they 
inlisted  under  the  banner  of  the 
cross:  he  sighed,  and  millions 
marched  to  the  Holy  Land. 
The  rustic  enthusiast  inspired 
the  passions  which  he  felt. 

The  city  was  taken  on  the 
15th  of  July,  1099,  the  third 
year  after  the  Christians  had 
set  out  from  Europe  to  recover 
Palestine.  Eight  days  after  the 
city  was  taken,  all  the  Chris- 
tian princes,  generals,  and  com- 
manders, assembled,  and  elect- 
ed for  king  of  Jerusalem,  God- 
frey of  Bouillon,  duke  of  Lor- 
rain,  who  by  his  piety,  pru- 
dence, and  valor,  was  judged 
most  worthy  of  that  dignity. 
From  the  time  that  the  city  of 
Jerusalem  remained  under  the 
power  of  the  Western  Chris- 
tians, that  is  to  say,  from  the 
15th  of  July,  1099,  to  the  end 
of  the  year  1162?  Jerusalem 
was  governed  by  five  Latin 
kings,  and  the  church  by  eight 
patriarchs.  On  the  death  of  the 
last  king,  Baldwin  III.  the  af- 
fairs of  the  western  Christians 
in  Syria  and  Palestine  began 
greatly  to  decline.  The  king- 
dom of  Jerusalem  considered 
in  its  whole  extent,  was  already 
divided  into  four  parts;  that  is 


to  say,  that  which  was  properly 
called  the  kingdom  of  Jerusa- 
lem, the  country  of  Edessa,  the 
principality  of  Antioch,  and  the 
country  of  Tripoli. 

At  present  Jerusalem  is  call- 
ed by  the  Turks  Cudsembaric 
and  Coudsherijf]  and  is  reduced 
to  a  poor  thinly  inhabited  town, 
about  three  miles  in  circumfer- 
ence, situated  on  a  rocky  moun- 
tain, surrounded  on  all  sides, 
except  the  north,  with  a  steep 
ascent  and  deep  vallies;  and 
these  again  environed  with  oth- 
er hills,  at  some  distance  from 
them.  The  soil  is  for  the  most 
part  stony,  yet  affords  corn, 
wine,  and  olives,  where  culti- 
vated; but  scarce  any  thing 
except  grass,  heath,  and  other 
spontaneous  herbs  and  shrubs, 
which  are  left  to  run  up  to 
seed,  grow  at  a  distance  from 
the  city.  The  houses  are  built 
of  flint  stones,  one  story  high. 
The  top  is  flat  and  plastered, 
having  battlements  a  yard  high. 
In  the  day  time  they  hide  from 
the  sun  under  the  roof;  in  the 
night  they  walk,  eat,  and  sleep 
on  it.  The  number  of  inhabi- 
tants are  said  to  be  about 
12  or  14,000.  Some  streets 
seem  to  be  ruins  rather  than 
dwelling  houses.  Within  the 
walls,  large  places  lie  desolate, 
covered  with  stones  and  rub- 
bish. Their  gardens  are  ill 
managed,    being    surrounded 


J£R 


Jtift 


with  low  walls  of  mud;  they 
arc  constantly  washing  down, 
and  requiring  new  repairs.  The 
citizens  are  taylors,  cooksj 
smiths,  or  shoemakers;  a  poor 
wicked  race,  the-  scum  of  differ- 
ent nations,  principally  Arabs. 
The  stately  church  erected 
by  the  empress  Helena  on 
mount  Calvary,  is  still  standing. 
It  is  called  the  church  of  the 
sepulchre;  and  is  kept  in  good 
repair  by  the  generous  offer- 
ings of  a  constant  concourse  of 
pilgrims,  who  annually  resort 
to  it,  as  well  as  by  the  contri- 
butions of  several  Christian 
princes.  The  walls  of  this 
church  are  of  stone,  and  the 
roof  of  cedar,  the  east  end  in- 
closes mount  Calvary,  and  the 
west  the  holy  sepulchre:  the 
former  is  covered  with  a  noble 
cupola,  open  at  top,  and  sup- 
ported by  sixteen  massive  col- 
umns. Over  die  high  altar  at 
the  east  end,  is  another  stately 
dome.  The  nave  or  body  of 
the  church  constitutes  the 
choir;  and  in  the  inside  isles 
are  shown  the  places,  where 
the  most  remarkable  circum- 
stances of  our  Savior's  passion 
were  transacted,  together  with 
the  tombs  of  Godfrey  and 
Baldwin,  the  two  first  Chris- 
tian kings  of  Jerusalem.  In 
the  chapel  of  the  crucifixion  is 
shown  the  very  hole  in  the 
rock  in  which  the  cross  is  said 


to  have  been  fixed.  The  altai 
in  this  chapel  hath  three  crosses 
on  it;  and  is  richly  adorned; 
particularly  with  four  lamps  of 
immense  value  that  hang  be- 
fore it,  and  are  kept  constantly 
burning.  At  the  west  end  is 
that  of'  the  sepulchre,  which  is 
hewn  in  that  form  out  of  the 
solid  rock,  and  hath  a  small 
dome,  supported  by  pillars  of 
porphyry.  The  cloister  round 
the  sepulchre  is  divided  into 
sundry  chapels,  appropriated  to 
the  several  sorts  of  Christians, 
who  reside  there;  as  Greeks, 
Armenians,  Maronites,  Jacob- 
ites, Copts,  Abyssinians,  Geor- 
gians, &c.  And  on  the  north- 
west side  are  the  apartments 
of  the  Latins,  who  have  the 
care  of  the  church,  and  are 
forced  to  reside  in  it  constantly; 
the  Turks  keeping  the  keys, 
and  not  suffering  any  of  them 
to  go  out,  obliging  them  to  re- 
ceive their  provisions  at  a 
wicket.  At  Easter  there  are 
some  grand  ceremonies  per- 
formed in  the  church,  repre- 
senting our  Lord's  passion, 
crucifixion,  death,  and  resur- 
rection, at  which  a  vast  con- 
course of  pilgrims  commonly 
assist. 

But  a  more  minute  descrip- 
tion of  the  church  of  the  sep- 
ulchre written  by  a  gentleman 
on  the  spot,  may  be  more  in« 
tcresting. 


JfM 


Jerusalem,  Oct.  18,  1800— 
About  2  o'clock  we  went  to 
the  church,  called  the  church 
of  the  sepulchre,  as  being  built 
over  the  holy  sepulchre,  in 
company  with  the  superior  of 
Our  convent,  with  whom  I 
should  observe,  we  had  made 
an  arrangement  to  visit  Beth- 
lehem on  the  following  morn- 
ing* Escorted  by  several  of 
the  Reverend  Fathers,  we  pass- 
ed through  a  solemn  and  grand 
entrance,  into  a  lofty  and  ca- 
pacious building,  somewhat 
less  than  a  hundred  paces  long, 
and  not  more  than  sixty  wide, 
supported  by  several  very  large 
marble  pillars  of  the  Corinthian 
order,  and  the  dome  of  which 
Was  built  of  the  cedar  of  Leb- 
anon. Preparation  having  been 
made  for  our  visit  to  this  sanc- 
tuary, it  was  lighted  up  with 
more  than  usual  spkndor,which 
had  a  very  striking  and  awful 
effect.  In  the  centre  of  the 
building  is  the  holy  sepulchre, 
Which  is  now  cased  over  with 
marble  for  its  better  preserva- 
tion. But  for  this  precaution, 
indeed,  it  would  ere  this  have 
been  broken  into  fragments  by 
the  pilgrims,  and  carried  away, 
as  so  many  precious  relics. 
The  sepulchre  was  affirm  a 
Cave,  hewn  in  the  rock  under 
ground;  but  the  rock  having 
been  since  cut  away  in  every 
direction,  it  appears  now  in  the 


form  of  a  grotto  above  ground* 
In  bestowing  on  it  a  close  in- 
spection, we  met  with  the  stone 
on  which  they  told  us  the  an- 
gel was  seated  when  Mary 
sought  the  body  of  Jesus.  This 
stone  had  been  removed  from 
the  entrance.  The  small  build- 
ing or  chapel  in  which  the  sep- 
ulchre is  inclosed,  was  lighted 
by  several  large  and  handsome 
lamps,  a  certain  number  of 
which  are  always  kept  burning. 
We  were  next  conducted  to 
all  the  interesting  places,  which 
respected  our  Savior,  previous- 
ly to  his  death;  such  as  the 
spot  where  he  was  confined 
before  his  trial  and  condemna- 
tion, that  where  he  was  scourg- 
ed, and  the  crown  of  thorns 
placed  on  his  head;  that  where 
he  was  nailed  to  the  cross,  &.c. 
We  saw  the  fissure  in  the 
rock,  which  was  rent  by  the 
earthquake,  at  the  time  he 
gave  up  the  ghost;  we  saw  the 
place  where  the  soldiers  cast 
lots  for  his  garments,  and  the 
spot  where  his  body  was  em- 
balmed. The  governor  of  Je- 
rusalem resides  on  the  spot 
where  stood  the  house  of  Pon- 
tius Pilate,  where  Peter  denied 
his  master.  On  the  site  of 
Solomon's  temple  is  a  mosque, 
which  Christians  are  not  allow- 
ed to  enter. 

Many    of  the  churches,    e- 
rccted  in  memory  of  some  rer 


JEft 


JER 


markabte  gospel-transaction, 
have  been  since  converted  in- 
to mosques;  into  some  of  which 
money  will  procure  admittance, 
but  not  into  others.  Both  the 
friars  and  other  Christians  are 
kept  so  poor  by  the  tyranny 
of  the  government,  that  the 
chief  support  and  trade  of  ihe 
place,  subsist  by  providing 
strangers  with  food  and  other 
accommodations,  selling  them 
beads,  relics,  and  other  trinkets, 
for  which  they  are  obliged  to 
p  iy  considerable  sums  to  the 
S.mgiac,  or  governor,  as  well 
as  to  his  officers;  and  those 
are  seldom  so  well  contented 
with  their  usual  tax,  but  they 
frequently  extort  some  fresh 
ones,  especially  from  the  Fran- 
ciscans, whose  convent  is  the 
common  receptacle  for  all  pil- 
grims, and  for  which  they 
have  considerable  allowances 
from  the  pope,  and  other 
crowned  heads,  besides  the 
presents,  which  strangers  gen- 
erally make  them  at  their  de- 
parture. The  most  remark- 
able antiquities  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Jerusalem,  are  1. 
The  pools  of  Bethesda  and 
Gihon,  the  former  120  paces 
long,  40  broad,  and  at  least  8 
deep,  but  not  without  water; 
and  the  old  arches  which  it 
still  discovers  at  the  west  end, 
are  quite  dammed  up;  the  oth- 
er, which  is  about  a  quarter  of 


a  mile  without  Bethlehem  gate* 
is  a  very  stately  relic,  106  paces 
long,  and  60  broad,  lined  with 
a  wail  and  plaster,  and  still  well 
stored  with  water.  2.  The  tomb 
of  the  Virgin  Mary,  in  the  val- 
ley of  Jehoshephat,  into  which 
one  descends,  by  a  magnificent 
flight  of  47  steps.  On  the  right 
hand  as  one  goes  down,  is  also 
the  sepulchre  of  St.  Ann,  the 
mother,  and  on  the  left  that 
of  Joseph  the  husband  of  the 
Virgin- mother;  some  add  like- 
wise, that  of  Jehoiakim  her  fa- 
ther. In  all  these  are  erected 
altars  for  priests  of  all  sorts  to 
say  mass,  and  the  whole  is  cut 
into  the  solid  rock.  3.The  tomb 
of  king  Jehoshephat,  cut  like- 
wise into  the  rock  and  divided 
into  several  apartments;  in  one 
of  which  is  his  tomb,  adorned 
with  a  stately  portico  and  en- 
tablature over  it.  4.  That  com- 
monly called  Absalom *s  pillar 
or  palace,  as  being  generally 
supposed  to  be  that  which  is 
said  to  have  been  erected  in 
his  life-time  to  perpetuate  his 
memory.  There  is  a  great 
heap  of  stones  about  it,  which 
is  continually  increasing.  The 
superstitious  Jews  and  Turks 
always  throwing  some  as  they 
pass  in  token  of  their  abhor- 
rence of  Absalom's  unnatural 
rebellion  against  so  good  and 
holy  a  parent.  The  structure 
itself  is  about  20  cubits  square, 


JEfi 


3m 


raid  60  high,  rising  in  a  lofty 
square,  adorned  below  with 
four  columns  of  the  Ionic  or- 
der, with  their  capitals,  entab- 
latures, &c.  to  each  front. 
From  the  height  of  20  or  40 
cubits,  it  is  somewhat  less  and 
quite  plain}  excepting  a  small 
fillet  at  the  upper  end,  and  from 
40  to  the  top  of  it  changes  in- 
to a  round,  which  grows  grad- 
ually into  a  point,  the  whole 
cut  out  of  the  solid  rock.  There 
is  a  room  within,  considerably 
higher  than  the  level  of  the 
ground  without,  on  the  sides 
of  which  are  niches,  probably 
to  receive  coffins.  5.  A  little 
eastward  of  this,  is  that  called 
the  tomb  of  Zac/iariah,  the  son 
of  Barachia,  whom  the  Jews 
slew  between  the  temple  and 
the  altar,  as  is  commonly 
supposed.  This  fabric  is  all 
cut  out  of  the  natural  rock,  18 
feet  high,  and  as  many  square, 
and  adorned  with  Ionic  col- 
umns on  each  front,  cut  out 
likewise  of  the  same  rock,  and 
supporting  a  cornice,  the  whole 
ends  in  a  pointed  top,  like  a 
diamond.  But  the  most  curi- 
ous, grand,  and  elaborate  pie- 
ces, in  this  kind,  are  the  grotts 
without  the  walls  of  Jerusalem, 
styled  the  royal  sepulchres;  but 
of  what  kings,  is  not  agreed. 
Thev  consist  of  a  ereat  num- 
ber  of  apartments;  some  of 
them  spacious,  all  cut  out  of 


the  solid  marble  rock,  and  mat 
justly  be  pronounced  a  royal 
work.  In  the  neighborhood  of 
Jerusalem  is  a  spot  of  ground, 
about  30  yards  long  and  15 
broad,  now  the  burying  place 
of  the  Armenians,  which  is 
shown  as  the  Aceldama,  or 
Field  of  Blood,  formerly  the 
Potters  Field,  and  since  styled 
Campo  Sancto,  or  the  Holy 
Field  purchased  with  the  price 
of  Judas's  treason,  for  the  bu- 
rial of  strangers.  It  is  walled 
round,  to  prevent  the  Turks 
abusing  the  bones  of  Christians, 
and  one  half  of  it  is  taken  up 
by  a  building  in  the  nature  of 
a  charnel  house.  Besides  the 
above,  a  great  many  other  an- 
tiquities in  the  city  and  its  en- 
virons, are  shown  to  strangers, 
there  being  scarce  any  place 
or  transaction,  mentioned  ei- 
ther in  the  Old  or  New  Testa- 
ment, but  they  show  the  \ery 
spot  of  the  ground,  where  the 
one  stood  and  the  other  was 
cone;  not  only  here,  but  over 
all  Judea. 

In  unison  with  what  we  have 
related,  a  traveller  who  was 
there  in  1807,  gives  the  follow- 
ing interesting  information. 
Jerusalem  seen  from  mount  Ol- 
ivet, presents  an  inclined  plane 
descending  from  west  to  east. 
A  lofty  wall  fortified  with  towers 
and  a  Gothic  castle  encloses  the 
whole   city,   but    excludes   a 


JEK 


JEU 


part  of  mount  Zion,  which  it 
formerly  embraced.  Towards 
the  west,  and  in  the  centre  of 
the  city,  the  houses  are  numer- 
ous and  closely  built;  but  in 
the  direction  of  the  east,  and 
along  the  valley  of  cedars,  large 
vacancies  are  observed;  among 
others  the  area  of  the  mosque, 
which  is  erected  near  the  ruins 
of  the  temple,  and  the  former 
site  of  a  second  palace  of  He- 
rod. The  houses  of  Jerusalem 
are  heavy  square  masses,  built 
low,  without  chimneys,  or 
windows:  flat  terraces,  and 
sometimes  domes  form  the 
roofs.  Altogether  they  appear 
like  prisons  or  sepulchres. 
The  whole  city  resembles  a 
cemetery  in  the  midst  of  a  des- 
ert. 

If  you  enter,  you  find  noth- 
ing to  compensate  you  for  the 
gloom  of  the  exterior.  You 
lose  yourself  in  narrow,  crooked 
streets,  without  pavements,  and 
full  of  abrupt  declivities.  You 
tread  upon  loose  stones,  and  are 
enveloped  in  clouds  of  dust; 
pieces  of  linen  spread  from  the 
top  of  one  house  to  another, 
increase  the  darkness  of  the 
labyrinth,  which  is  rendered 
still  more  dismal  and  disgust' 
ing  by  covered  markets,  ex- 
haling a  most  pestilential  odor. 
A  few  mean  shops,  only  serve 
to  indicate  the  poverty  of  the 
inhabitants:  and  these  are  often 


shut,  from  an  apprehension 
that  the  Cadi  may  pass  by;  not 
an  individual  is  seen  in  the 
streets,  or  at  the  gates  of  the 
city.  Now  and  then  a  peasant  is 
discovered,  stealing  through 
this  twilight  and  carefully  con- 
cealing the  fruits  of  his  indus- 
try under  his  clothes,  lest  he 
should  be  plundered,  and  mal- 
treated by  the  soldiery;  apart 
in  a  corner,  you  may  observe 
an  Arabian  butcher  killing 
some  animal  suspended  by  the 
hind  feet  from  a  mouldering 
wall;  from  the  bloody  arms, 
and  the  haggard,  ferocious 
countenance  of  the  man,  you 
would  be  led  to  suppose,  that 
had  he  been  engaged,  not  in  the 
business  of  his  trade,  but  in 
the  perpetration  of  murder. 
The  only  sound  heard  in  this 
deicide  country,  and  that  merely 
at  distant  intervals,  is  the  gal- 
loping of  the  Arabian  horse, 
of  which  the  rider  is  a  Janissa- 
ry, either  bring  the  head  of  a 
Bedowin  to  his  master,  or  set- 
ting out  to  pillage  the  Fellah. 
In  the  midst  of  this  extraor- 
dinary scene  of  desolation, 
your  attention  is  arrested,  by 
something  still  more  extraor- 
dinary. Among  the  ruins  of 
Jerusalem,  there  are  two  dis- 
tinct and  independent  classes 
of  people,  who  find  in  their  re* 
ligious  faith  resources,  which 
enable  them  to  triumph   over 


JEE 


JER 


tins  array  of  horror  and  misery. 
You  have  before  you,  on  one 
side,  a  body  of  Christian  Monks, 
whom  neither  the  menaces  of 
death,  nor  indignities,  nor  rob- 
beries of  every  description,  can 
drive  from  the  tomb  of  their 
Savior.  Their  canticles  re- 
sound night  and  day,  about  the 
holy-  sepulchre.  Although 
plundered  in  the  morning  by  a 
Turkish  governor,  they  are 
still  found  in  the  evening  at 
the  fobt  of  Mount  Calvary, 
praying  on  the  spot,  where 
Jesus  Christ  suffered  for  the 
salvation  of  man.  They  wel- 
come a  stranger  with  a  serene 
countenance  and  a  cheerful 
heart.  Without  arms  or  troops, 
they  are  still  able  to  protect 
whole  villages,  against  lawless 
power.  Women  and  children, 
driven  like  herds  of  cattle,  at 
the  point  of  the  sabre,  take  ref- 
uge in  the  cloisters  of  these  as. 
cetics.  Their  charity  rescues 
the  trembling  victims,  from  the 
blows  of  the  merciless  Janissa- 
ry. In  order  to  ransom  their 
suppliants,  they  surrender  to 
their  pursuers,  even  the  com- 
mon necessaries  of  life,  that, 
which  is  almost  indispensable  for 
their  own  subsistence.  Turks, 
Arabians,  Greeks,  Christians, 
all  seek  protection  from  the 
unarmed,  defenceless  minis- 
ters of  true  religion.  It  is 
here  that  we  can  say  with  Bos- 
suet,   "that  hands   uplifted  to 


heaven,  vanquish  more  battal- 
lions,  than  those  which  wield 
the  javelin  and  the  scymetar." 
While  the  new  Jerusalem  is 
seen,  "shining  in  the  midst  of  a 
desert"  you  may  observe 
between  Mount  Zion  and  the 
temple,  another  spectacle  of 
almost  equal  interest.  It  i  s  that 
of  the  remmint  of  another  peo- 
ple, distinct  from  the  rest  of 
the  inhabitants;  a  people,  indi- 
vidually the  objects  of  univer- 
sal contempt;  who  suffer  the 
most  wanton  outrages,  without 
a  murmur;  who  endure  blows 
and  wounds  without  a  sigh, 
who,  when  the  sacrifice  of  their 
life  is  demanded,  unhesitating- 
ly stretch  forth  their  necks  to 
the  sabre.  If  a  member  of  this 
community,  thus  cruelly  pro- 
scribed and  abused  happens  rb 
die,  his  companion  buries  him, 
clandestinely  during  the  night, 
in  the  valley  of  Jehoshephat, 
within  the  purlieus  of  the  temple 
of  Solomon.  Enter  their  habi- 
tation and  you  find  them  in  the 
most  abject,  squallid  misery, 
and  for  the  most  part  occupied 
in  reading  a  mysterious  book 
to  their  children,  with  whom 
again  it  becomes  a  manual 
for  the  instruction  of  the  suc- 
ceeding generation.  What 
these  wretched  outlaws,  from 
the  justice  and  the  compas- 
sion of  the  rest  of  mankind,  did 
two  thousand  years  ago,  they 
do  still.     Six  times  have  they 


JER 


J£& 


witnessed  the  destruction  of 
Jerusalem,  and  are  not  as  yet  dis- 
couraged; nothing  can  operate 
to  divert  their  looks  from  Zion. 
We  are  surprised  no  doubt, 
when  we  observe  the  Jews, 
scattered  over  the  face  of  the 
earth,  but  to  experience,  an  as- 
tonishment much  more  lively, 
we  have  but  to  seek  them  in 
Jerusalem.  The  legitimate 
masters  of  Judea  should  be 
seen,  as  they  are  in  their  own 
land,  slaves  and  strangers;  they 
should  be  seen  awaiting,  under 
the  most  cruel  and  oppressive 
of  all  despotisms,  a  king,  who 
is  to  work  their  deliverance. 
Near  the  temple — of  which 
there  docs  not  "remain  one 
stone  upon  another,"  they  still 
continue  to  dwell;  and  with  the 
cross,  as  it  were  planted  upon 
their  heads,  and  bending  them 
to  the  earth,  still  cling  to  their 
errrors,  and  labor  under  the 
same  'deplorable  infatur.tion. 
The  Persians,  the  Greeks,  and 
the  Romans,  have  disappeared 
from  the  face  of  the  earth;  and 
a  small  people,  whose  origin  is 
anterior  to  that  of  these  mighty 
nations,  still  survive  amid  the 
ruins  of  their  country,  with  no 
alteration  of  manners,  and  no 
mixture  of  foreign  blood.  If 
there  be  any  thing  among  man- 
kind, which  bears  the  stamp  of 
a  miracle,  it  is  to  be  found 
here  most  certainly.  What 
30 


can  be  more  marvellous  ©r 
prodigious,  even  to  the  eye  of 
a  philosopher,  than  this  ap- 
proximation at  the  foot  of 
Mount  Calvary,  of  the  old  and 
new  Jerusalem,  the  one  deriv- 
ing consolation,  from  the  as- 
pect of  that  tomb,  from  which 
all  the  miseries  of  the  other 
appear  to  spring. 

The  decayed  town  of  Jeru- 
salem will  always  be  interest- 
ing to  the  believer  in  revela- 
tion. Here  his  fond  delighted 
imagination  fixes,  not  only  on 
account  of  the  splendid  scenes, 
recorded  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, not  only,  because  here 
the  Son  of  God,  accomplished 
the  wrork  of  human  redemp- 
tion; not  only,  because  here 
the  spark  kindled,  which,  like 
the  sun  shall  enlighten  all  na- 
tions; but  here  a  constellation 
of  prophecies  are  fulfilled. 
One  or  two  we  mention.  Con- 
templating the  city,  its  holy- 
temple,  and  majestic  palaces, 
Jesus  Christ  prophesied,  that 
in  that  generation,  devastation 
should  enter;  that  the  time 
should  come,  that  one  stone 
should  not  be  left  upon  anoth- 
er; all  this  came  to  pass,  as  has 
been  related.  Jesus  Christ 
also  prophesied,  that  "Jerusa- 
lem should  be  trodden  down 
of  the  Gentiles;"  that  Gentiles 
should  possess  the  place,  not 
Jews.     This  we  have  seen  has 


JEZ 


JOK 


been  literally  accomplished. 
Adrian,  banished  all  the  Jews. 
The  place  was  settled  by  Ro- 
mans and  other  foreigners. 
The  Jews  are  still  persecuted 
by  Mahometans,  as  they  were 
banished  by  Romans.  Jerusa- 
lem is  still  trodden  down  by 
the  Gentiles.  Is  it  possible 
to  be  an  infidel?  Long.  35, 
25,  east,  lat.  31,  15,  north. 

JESHANA,  a  city  in  the 
land  of  Canaan,  and  tribe  of 
Ephraim.  The  same  perhaps 
as  Zin.  Eusebius  and  Jerome 
place  Zin  seven  miles  north 
from  Jericho. 

JESHIMON,  the  name  of 
a  desert  in  the  tribe  of  Judah. 

JESHIMON,  probably  the 
same  as  Hesmona,  Asemonia, 
Esem,  Esemon,  and  Esemona, 
a  city  in  the  wilderness  of 
Maon,  belonging  to  Simeon; 
lying  in  the  south  of  Palestine, 
or  rather  in  Arabia  Petrea. 
Joseph  us  calls  it  the  wilder- 
ness  of  Simeon. 

JETHLAH,  a  city  in  the 
tribe  of  Dan.     Josh,  xix,  42. 

JEWS,  see  Jerusalem,  Is- 
raelites, &c. 

JEZREEL,  a  celebrated  ci- 
ty, situated  in  a  valley  of  that 
name,  in  the  half  tribe  of  Ma- 
nasseh,  on  the  west  of  Jordan, 
lying  on  the  confines  of  this 
tribe,  and  that  of  Issachar,  as 
appears  from  Joshua  xix, 18. 

Ahab  had  a  palace  here,  and 


this  city  is  noted  in  scripture 
on  account  of  the  vengeance 
which  God  executed  on  him 
and  Jezebel  at  Jezreel.  St. 
Jerome  says,  that  this  was  a 
considerable  town  in  his  time. 

It  is  now  called  Esdraelon. 
Wells's  Geography. 

This  was  also  the  name  of 
a  city  in  the  tribe  of  Judah. 
Josh,  xv,  56.  This  town  is 
not  far  from  Bethshan.  Lat. 
32,28. 

Jezreel,  a  fertile  plain  of 
Palestine,  watered  by  the  Kish- 
on.  It  is  now  called  the  plain 
of  Esdraelon,  and  is  remarka- 
ble for  its  rich  soil.  But  Mr. 
Maundrel  observes,  that  now 
it  is  uncultivated,  and  is  a 
tract  of  pasturage  for  the  A- 
rabs,  who  wander  in  this  re- 
gion. 

JOKDEAM,  a  city  in  the 
tribe  of  Judah,  Josh,  xv,  56. 

JO.KMEAM,  a  city  of 
Ephraim,  which  was  after- 
wards yielded  to  the  Levites  of 
Kohath's  family,  1  Chr.  vi,  68. 

JOKNEAM,  a  city  of  Ju- 
dah, 1  Kings  iv,  12. 

Jokneam,  a  city  in  the  tribe 
of  Zebulon,  given  to  the  Le- 
vites of  Merari's  family,  Josh, 
xxi,  34,  and  Josh,  xix,  11.  It 
is  the  same,  as  Jokneam  of  Car- 
mel,  Josh,  xii,  22,  where  it  is 
surnamed  Carniel,  by  reason  of 
its  neighborhood  to  this  moun- 
tain. 


JOP 


JOP 


JOKTHEEL,  a  city  of  Ju- 
dah. 

JoKTii£EL,arock,>vhichAm- 
aziah,  king  of'Judah,  took  from 
Edom,  from  the  top  of  which, he 
threw  down  ten  thousand  of  the 
Edomites,  whom  he  had  taken 
in  battle.  Eusebius  is  of  opin- 
ion, that  this  roek  is  the  city  of 
Petrea,  the  capital  of  Arabia 
Petrea.  The  battle  in  which 
the  Edomites  were  defeated, 
was  fought  in  the  valley  of 
Salt,  which  it  is  supposed  lay 
between  Bozra  and  Palmyra. 
Pliny  says,  that  the  solitudes 
of  Palmyra  reached  to  the  city 
of  Petrea.  It  is  probable, 
therefore,  that  Amaziah  pushed 
his  conquests,  as  far  as  this 
city,  and  gave  it  the  name  of 
Joktheel,  that  is,  obedience  to 
the  Lord;  implying,  that  he  had 
obeyed  God,  or  done  his  duty. 

JOPPA,  a  sea  port  town  in 
Palestine,  lying  south  of  Cae- 
sarea,  and  anciently  the  only 
port  to  Jerusalem,  whence  all 
the  materials,  sent  from  Tyre, 
towards  the  building  of  Solo- 
mon's temple,  were  brought 
hither  and  landed,  2  Chron.  ii, 
1G.  It  is  said  to  have  been 
built  by  Japhet,  and  from  him 
to  have  taken  its  name  Japho, 
afterwards  moulded  into  Jop- 
pa;  heathen  geographers  speak 
of  it  as  built  before  the  flood. 
It  is  now  called  Jaffa.  The 
town  is  now  enclosed  by  a  wall- 


flanked  by  several  strong  tow. 
ers  with  some  cannon.  To- 
wards the  sea  are  two  forts  to 
defend  the  port  and  anchorage. 
It  is  inhabited  by  Turks  and 
Arabs,  with  a  mixture  of 
Greeks,  Maronites,  and  Ar- 
menians. The  houses  arc- 
small,  and  surrounded  with  the 
ruins  of  the  ancient  walls  and 
towers.  The  Franks,  Greeks, 
and  Armenians,  have  each  of 
them  small  houses  for  the  re- 
ception of  the  pilgrims  of  differ- 
ent nations.  The  money  paid 
by  the  pilgrims  for  permission 
to  visit  the  Holy  Land  is,  part 
of  it,  sent  to  Mecca,  and  part 
to  the  kislar-aga  of  Constanti- 
nople, but  the  customs  belong 
to  the  pacha  of  Gaza,  in  whose 
jurisdiction  it  is  situated.  Jaffa 
was  laid  waste  in  the  crusades, 
and  afterwards  destroyed  by  an 
earthquake.  But  it  is  some- 
what recovered;  the  parts  near 
the  sea  are  adorned  with  hand- 
some houses  of  stone,  they  are 
white  and  have  domes  and  square 
towers.  The  town  carries  on 
considerable  trade  in  soap  and 
rice.  The  water  is  excellent. 
The  harbor  is  shallow,  and  ow- 
ing to  its  rocky  and  shelving 
coast  is  pretty  secure  from  at- 
tack by  sea,  the  violence  of  the 
surf,  and  the  heavy  swell  from 
the  west;  theunevenness  of  the 
ground,  abounding  in  rocks  anci 
shoals,  make  it  extremelv  haz 


JOP 


JOP 


ardous  for  ships  to  attack  Jop- 
pa.  The  town  stands  on  an 
eminence,  nearly  in  the  centre 
of  which  is  an  old  ruinous  build- 
ing, called  the  citadel,  on  the 
top  of  which  is  a  tower,  pro- 
vided with  cannon;  but  seems 
rather  calculated  to  overawe  the 
citizens,  than  repel  an  invasion 
from  abroad.  The  streets  are 
narrow,  uneven,  and  dirty.  The 
houses,  many  of  them,  are  fit 
shelters  for  swine,  rather  than 
comfortable  habitations  for  hu- 
man creatures.  Indeed  it  is 
not  uncommon  to  see  the  fami- 
ly and  cattle  herd  together  in 
the  same  dwelling.  Joppa  was 
fortified  by  the  English  in  A.D. 
1800  and  1801.  *  An  officer, 
with  the  army  there  at  that  time, 
remarks,  that  the  jackals  infest 
every  part  of  the  country  and 
are  numerous.  During  the  day 
they  confine  themselves  to  their 
holes  and  lurking  places;  but 
sally  out  at  night,  saith  he,  in 
large  bodies,  in  search  of  their 
fooc);  they  then  rendezvous  in 
the  neighborhood  of  the  towns 
and  villages,  molesting  the  in- 
habitants with  the  most  disa- 
greeable of  all  howiings.  He 
observes,  that  a  great  number 
of  jackals  came  into  the  very 
camp  every  night,  with  such  a 
yell,  that  with  the  howiings  of 
the  dogs,  and  the  braying  of 
asses  and  mules,  a  noise  so  hide- 
ous was  made  by  them  all,  as 


would  astonish  and  alarm  any 
one,  who  was  a  stranger  to  such 
a  scene.  It  is  allowed  by  nat- 
uralists that  the  jackal  is  the  an- 
imal denominated  fox  in  scrip- 
ture. These  animals  we  see 
are  very  tame;  they  enter  the 
cities  and  camps;  they  are  also 
very  numerous.  Is  it  strange 
then  that  Sampson  should  be 
able  to  take,  or  employ  men  to 
take,  three  hundred  of  them? 
In  profane  history  it  is  said 
to  be  the  place  whence  Perseus 
delivered  Andromedia.  It  was 
taken  by  the  French  under  Bo- 
naparte, in  1797.  He  retained 
the  possession  for  forty  days, 
in  which  time  it  was  given  up 
to  universal  pillage.  The  pres- 
ent population  is  1200,  or  1500, 
It  was  here  that  Bonaparte  or- 
dered 6000  of  the  inhabitants, 
with  5  or  600  of  the  Turkish 
garrison,  whom  he  had  made 
prisoners,  four  days  before,  to 
be  marched  to  the  sand  hills,  a 
league  on  the  way  to  Gaza,  and 
there  to  be  inhumanly  shot.  "I 
have  seen,  says  Dr.  Wittman, 
"the  skeletons  of  these  unfor- 
tunate victims,  which  lie  scat- 
tered over  the  hills,  a  modern 
Golgotha:"  It  was  here  that  Bo- 
naparte poisoned  several  hun- 
dred of  his  own  sick  and  wound- 
ed soldiers:  it  is  7 leagues  north- 
west of  Gaza,  and  11  west  of 
Jerusalem.  Lon.  35  east.  Lat. 
31,  45  north. 


JOR 


' 


joi; 


JORDAN,  a  river  of  great 
note  in  the  sacred  writings. 
Some  assert,  that  it  derives  its 
name  from  the  Hebrew  word 
Jor,  which  signifies  a  spring, 
and  Dan,  which  is  a  small 
town  near  its  source;  cr  ac- 
cording to  others,  it  derives  its 
name  irom  the  two  rivulets, 
Jor  and  Dan .  But  these  etymo- 
logies are  very  dubious.  First 
it  is  not  true,  that  the  river  Jor- 
dan is  formed  of  two  rivulets, 
nor  that  one  of  them  was  called 
Dan,  though  the  Geographical 
maps  for  the  most  part  so  de- 
scribe it. 

The  visible  origin  of  the 
Jordan,  is  a  little  stream,  the 
source  of  which  is  in  mount 
Libanus,  and  upon  which  the 
little  town  of  Dan  is  situated, 
four  leagues  higher  than  Caesa- 
rea  Philippi,  where  properly 
the  Jordan  begins.  The  other 
source  of  Jordan,  and  that  the 
most  considerable  one,  though 
the  least  apparent,  is  the  lake 
Phiala,  about  four  leagues  from 
Caesarea  Philippi  to  the  south. 
Two  miles  from  the  lake  is  a 
stone  bridge  of  three  arches, 
called  Jacob's  bridge,  supposed 
to  be  more  ancient  than  thfedays 
of  that  Patriarch.  This  lake 
has  a  communication  with  Jor- 
dan underground,  and  furnish- 
es Ccesarea  with  such  large 
supplies  of  water,  that  it  might 
even  there  pass   for  a   river. 


Secondly,  the  name  of  Da: 
much  more  modem,  than  that 
of  Jordan.  The  Jordan  from 
Caesarea  Philippi  runs  through 
the  space  of  about  fifty  leagues, 
till  it  discharges  itself  into  the 
Dead  Sea,  where  it  is  lost.  In 
its  course  it  forms  the  lake 
Semechon,  at  live  Or  six 
leagues  distance  from  its  spring. 
Thence  it  passes  through  the 
lake  Tiberias.  On  bothsides 
along  the  Jordan,  there  is  a 
great  plain,  which  extends  it- 
self from  the  lake  of  Tiberias, 
as  far  as  the  Dead  Sea.  Jose- 
phus  says,  that  this  plain  is 
twelve  hundred  furlongs  in 
length,  and  an  hundred  and 
twenty  wide.  Travellers  ob- 
serve that  lions,  during  the 
summer,  hide  under  the  trees 
and  reeds  along  this  river, 
whence  they  are  driven,  when 
the  waters  swell;  Jeremiah 
alludes  to  this  fact,  xlxix,  chap. 
19;  where  he  compares  the  en- 
emy, marching  to  attack  Jeru- 
salem or  Bab)  Ion,  "to  lions, 
which  come  up  from  the  swel- 
lings or  intiuhdations  of  Jor- 
dan." Maundrel  says,  that  die 
Jordan  near  Jericho,  when  he- 
saw  it,  was  about  sixty  feet 
wide,  and  so  rapid  that  a 
man  could  not  swim  against 
it;  it  is  generally  about  nine 
feet  deep,  and  except  in  fresh- 
ets runs  two  yards  below  the 
brink    of    its    channel.     The 


JOR 


JOT 


water  is  turbid,  but  very 
wholesome,  But,  though  an- 
ciently, in  March  or  April,  this 
river  overflowed  its  banks, 
while  the  snows  were  melting 
on  Lebanon  and  Hermon,  yet 
it  seems  evident  From  several 
modern  travellers,  that  these 
floods  are  now  less,  and  more 
rare.  Perhaps  the  channel  of 
the  river  is  worn  deeper;  the 
same  remark  applies  to  several 
streams  in  our  own  country. 
The  Talmudists  say,  "the  wa- 
ters of  the  Jordan  are  not  fit  to 
be  sprinkled  on  the  unclean, 
because  they  are  mixed  wa- 
ters," meaning  that  they  are 
mixed  with  the  waters  of  other 
streams,  which  it  receives. 
The  reader  will  instantly  recol- 
lect the  declaration  of  Naaman 
the  Syrian,  2  Kings  v,  11,  12; 
who  probably  had  adopted  their 
opinion,  and  thought  the  waters 
of  Damascus  preferable  to 
those  of  the  Jordan.  D'Ar- 
vieux  says,  "the  Jordan  is  bord- 
ered with  trees,  which  render 
its  course  very  agreeable.  The 
Jordan  is  very  full  offish,  be- 
cause nobody  catches  them. 
What  the  fish  have  to  avoid  is 
not  to  be  carried  down  into 
the  Dead  Sea,  because  there 
they  instantly  die.  Higher  up 
the  Jordan,  Mosquet  say  s,  com- 
ing from  Damascus,  he  passed 
many  woods,  and  at  length  ar- 
rived  at    Jacob's  bridcre,    bv 


■z>^> 


which  we  cross  at  no  great  dis- 
tance from  the  lake,"  I  found, 
saith  he,  the  water  in  the  lake 
of  Tiberias  very  soft  and  tran- 
quil, and  very  good  to  drink, 
on  a  bottom  of  white  sand. 
The  Jordan  passes  through 
the  midst  of  this  lake  with  a 
determined  course,  without 
mixing  with  its  waters. 

As  we  approach  the  Jordan, 
says  Volney,  the  country  be- 
come more  hilly  and  better  wa- 
tered; the  valley  through  which 
the  river  runs  affords  in  most 
parts  very  good  pasturage.  As 
for  the  river  itself  it  is  very  far 
from  having  the  importance, 
which  we  are  apt  to  give  it. 
Between  the  two  principal 
lakes  the  b.'eadth  in  general 
does  not  exceed  sixty  or  eighty 
feet,  the  depth  being  about  ten 
or  twelve.  In  winter  it  over- 
flows this  narrow  channel,  and 
swelled  by  the  rains  forms  a 
sheet  of  water  three  quarters  of 
a  mile  in  breadth.  Josephus, 
Calmet,  Wells,  Maundrel,  Mar- 
in, Shaiv,  &c. 

Jordan,  plain  of  see  Sid- 
dim  vale  of. 

JOTBAH,  a  city  in  the 
tribe  of  Judah,  where  Meshulle- 
meth  was  born,  the  mother  of 
Amon,~king  of  Judah.  2  Kings 
xxi,  19, 

JOTBATH  AH,  an  encamp- 
ment ot  the  Isratlites,  between 
Horchagidgad  and  Ebronah, 


JUD 


JUD 


JfUDAH,  this  tribe  was  situ- 
ate in  the  south  part  of  Pales* 
tine,  and  extended  from  the 
Dead  Sea,  to  the  tribes  of  Dan 
and  Simeon  west,  Benjamin 
lying  contiguous  on  the  north. 
Judah  held  the  most  extensive 
territory,  and  was  the  most 
powerful  of  all  the  tribes. 
According  to  the  prophesy  of 
Jacob,  Gen.  xlix.  This  was 
to  be  a  warlike  tribe,  and  its 
civil  polity  was  not  to  expire, 
till  the  Messiah  should  come. 
These  things  have  been  emi- 
nently fulfilled.  At  the  time 
of  the  Messiah's  birth  a  decree 
was  published  by  Augustus 
Caesar,  that  Judea  should  be 
enrolled,  in  which  registry  Je- 
sus Christ  was  included. 
Hence  Julian  the  apostate  un- 
wittingly objected  that  Jesus 
Christ  could  not  be  a  king, 
because  he  was  a  subject  of 
Cassar.  Eleven  years  after, 
Judea  was  actually  made  a 
Roman  province,  an  assess- 
ment was  made,  or  a  tax  levi- 
ed by  Cyrenius,  the  sceptre, 
or  power  of  self  government, 
departed;  the  Jews  no  longer 
had  the  power  of  life  and  death. 
"Shiloh"  had  come,  (See  Dr. 
Clark.)  The  different  degrees 
of  Judah's  power  is  expressed 
by  a  beautiful  climax  in  the 
prophecy  of  Jacob.  The  tribe 
is  compared  to  a  lion's  xvhelp, 
t@  a  full  grown  lion,  to  a  nurs'mg 


lioness,  the  most  fierce  of  all 
creatures.  Soon  after  their 
settlement  in  Canaan,  their 
warlike  character  began  to 
manifest  itself.  They  were 
among  the  foremost  to  expel 
the  ancient  holders  of  the  soil, 
the  Canaan  ites.  The  armies 
of  Judqh  marched  against  the 
Pcrezites,  against  Jerusalem, 
against  the  Canaanites  of  the 
mountain,  and  against  the 
South,  and  the  Valley,  and 
against  Hebron,  and  Debir, 
and  Zephath,  and  Gaza,  and 
Askelon,  and  Ekron,  and  many- 
other  places,  (Judges  1.)  At 
their  coming  out  of  Egypt,  the 
fighting  men  of  Judah  were 
74,600.  In  the  wilderness, 
when  numbered  again,  they 
were  76,500. 

JUDEA,  this  name  was 
originally  applied,  only  to  the 
territory,  belonging  to  the  tribe 
of  Judah,  in  Palestine;  but 
after  the  revolt  of  the  ten  tribes 
from  David,  when  Judah  and 
Benjamin  were  united  in  the 
same  government,  the  name  of 
Judea  was  applied  to  both  ter- 
ritories. Afterwards,  when 
the  ten  tribes  were  carried  into 
captivity,  and  Judah  seemed1 
of  course  to  possess  the  vacant 
lands  of  Simeon  and  Dan,  all 
this  south  part  of  Palestine  was 
called  Judea.  Finally,  after  the 
captivity  and  return  of  Judah 
from  Babylon,  and  the  whole 


JUD 


JUD 


country  was  ready  to  receive 
them,  the  name  of  Judea  was 
extended  to  all  the  Holy  Land, 
or  at  least,  to  all  inhabited  by 
the  Jews. 

This  was  a  mountainous  part 
of  Canaan,  especially  in  the 
vicinity  of  Jerusalem  and  He- 
bron. The  principal  part  of 
this  country  lies  west  from 
those  mountains,  towards  the 
Mediterranean;  but  here  are 
many  hills.  East  from  the 
mountains  is  the  wilderness  of 
Judea,  extending  to  the  Dead 
sea.  In  the  wilderness  of  Ju- 
dea, John  the  Baptist  first 
taught  the  people,  and  in  this 
region  Jesus  Christ  was  tempt- 
ed, probably  in  the  north  part 
of  the  district,  not  far  from 
Jericho.  Some  portions  of  this 
desert,  so  called,  were  not  bar- 
ren nor  uninhabited.  Of  the 
other  parts  the  following  ac- 
count is  the  latest  which  has 
reached  us.  In  April  1800, 
Dr.  Carlyle  visited  the  monas- 
tery of  St.  Saba  in  the  wilder- 
ness of  Judea.  He  says,  "The 
valley  of  St.  Saba  is  an  im- 
mense chasm  in  a  rifted  moun- 
tain of  marble.  It  is  not  only 
destitute  of  trees,  but  of  every 
other  species  of  vegetation,  and 
its  sole  inhabitants,  except  the 
wretched  monks  in  the  convent, 
are  eagles,  tigers,  and  wild 
Arabs.  The  monastery  joins 
to  the  rock  on  the  right,  and 


stretches  itself  half  way  across 
the  valley.  You  enter  from 
the  top,  and  descend  by  several 
nights  of  stairs,  and  through 
iron  doors,  to  the  platform  on 
which  the  church  stands. 

The  monks  are  obliged  to 
bring  all  their  provisions  from 
Jerusalem,  and  are  constantly 
exposed  to  the  depredations  of 
the  Bedoweens,  or  wild  Arabs. 
These  banditti,  only  a  fortnight 
before  I  was  there,  Had  made 
an  attack  on  the  convent;  they 
had  set  on  fire  and  plundered 
that  part,  which  otherwise  they 
could  not  reach,  and  murdered 
a  considerable  part  of  the  peo- 
ple. It  would  have  been  im- 
possible for  me  to  have  accom- 
plished my  visit  here,  had  not 
the  governor  of  Jerusalem  fur- 
nished me  with  an  escort  of 
these  very  banditti,  to  protect 
me  against  their  brethren. 

It  is  a  matter  of  religious  im- 
portance to  be  intimately  ac- 
quainted with  the  state  of  this 
small,  but  interesting  section 
of  the  globe.  Jesus  Christ  fore- 
told in  a  very  particular  man- 
ner what  should  be  the  state  of 
this  region  in  the  ages  subse- 
quent to  his  residence  here;  do 
we  not  find  his  prophecies  mi- 
nutely fulfilled?  To  ascertain 
this,  we  must  study  the  instruc- 
tions of  Christ,  and  study  the 
present  state  of  this  country. 
Several  of  our  Lord's  parables 


JUT 


KAD 


were  intended  to  rouse  the  at- 
tention of  the  Jews  to  a  convic- 
tion of  their  dangerous  situa- 
tion, in  a  political  sense,  though 
arising  from  their  wickedness, 
as  the  cause,  and  as  he  accu- 
rately fixed  the  time  and  de- 
scribed the  agents,  we  cannot 
too  carefully  impress  our  minds 
with  the  evidence,  that  his 
words  were  accomplished  in 
the  manner,  at  the  time,  and  by 
the  agents  which  he  foretold. 
See  Jerusalem,  &c. 

JUDEA,  wilderness  of  a 
neglected  tract  of  country  in 
Palestine,  lying  on  each  side  of 
the  Jordan.  It  was  called  a 
wilderness,  not  because  it  was 
absolutely  uninhabited,  but  be- 
cause it  was  less  populous, 
than  other  parts  of  the  countrv. 

JUDGM EN  E,  fountain  of, 
or  fountain  of  Kadesh,  south 
of  the  land  of  promise.  These 
waters  of  Kadesh  were  called 
the  waters  of  strife,  beeause 
-Moses  was  there  contradicted 
and  provoked  by  the  murmurs 
of  his  people.  These  waters 
were  called  the  waiters  of  Judg- 
ment; because  God  here  man- 
ifested his  anger  against  Moses, 
and  declared  to  him,  that  he 
should  not  enter  the  land  of 
Canaan,  because  he  had  not 
honored  him  before  all  Israel. 

JUTTAH,  a  city  of  Pales- 
tine,   in    the   tribe  of    Judah. 
Bonfrerius  is  of  opinion,  that 
31 


this  is  the  Ashan  of  Joshua  xiii, 
but  Calmet  thinks  it  more  prob- 
ably the  Ithnam  of  Joshua  xv. 
Eusebius  says  that  Ithnam  was 
eight  miles  east  from  Hebron. 

KABZEEL,  a  city  belong- 
ing to  the  tribe  of  Jud.h,  Josh, 
xv,  21.  It  stood  near  the  west 
shore  of  the  Dead  sea,  and  here 
Benaiah,  the  general  of  Solo- 
mon's army,  was  born,  2  Sam. 
xxiii,  20. 

KADESH,  Kadesh-bar- 
nea,  or  Enmishpat,  Gen. 
xiv,  17,  a  city  celebrated  for 
several  events.  At  Kadesh, 
Miriam,  the  sister  of  Moses, 
died,  Numbers  xx,  1. 

Mr.  Wells  is  of  opinion,  that 
Kadesh,  which  was  situated  in 
the  wilderness  of  Zin,  was  a 
different  place  from  Kadesh- 
barne:>,  in  the  wilderness  of  Pa- 
ran,  Ms  arguments  for  which 
opinion  are  too  lengthy  to  be 
inserted  here,  but  may  be  seen, 
vol.  i,  of  his  Geography. 

Lightfoot  is  sanguine  that 
these  places  were  the  same.  In 
the  time  of  Eusebius  and  Je- 
rome here  was  shown  the  sep- 
ulchre of  Miriam.  Another 
learned  writer  says,  this  was 
not  Kadesii-barnea,  the  encamp- 
ment of  Israel  on  the  northern 
confines  of  Canaan,  but  another 
Kadesh  on  the  confines  of  Idu- 
mea,  not  far  from  the  Red  sea. 
See  Kimpton's  Uistory  of  this 
Bible,  p.  95. 


KAR 


KED 


KADESH    NAPHTALI, 

this  was  the  most  eminent  city 
in  the  tribe  of  Naphtali,  and  was 
so  called  to  distinguish  it  from 
other  cities,  called  Kadesh. 
This  was  not  only  a  Levitical 
citv,  but  one  of  the  three  cities 
of  refuge  on  the  west  side  of 
Jordan. 

KADMONITES,  ancient 
inhabitants  of  the  land,  whose 
habitation  was  beyond  Jordan, 
to  the  east  of  Phoenicia,  about 
mount  Libanus,  Gen.  xv,  19. 
Dr.  Wells  says,  that  Kadmon- 
ites  denote  the  same  as  East- 
erns, or  Orientals,  so  that  prob- 
ably these  people  lived  east 
from  the  Jordan,  whose  lands 
were  finally  subdued  by  Israel, 
as  the  kingdoms  of  Og  and  Si- 
hon,  the  Moabites  and  Am- 
monites, were. 

KAIN,  a  city  of  Palestine,  • 
belonging  to  the  tribe  of  Judah. 

KAKA,  a  town  of  Palestine 
in  the  tribe  of  Judah,  toward  its 
south  border. 

KANAH,  a  river  of  the 
south  part  of  Manasseh,  west 
of  the  Jordan.  Some  suppose 
it  to  be  the  same  as  the  Che- 
rith;  others  suppose  it  runs 
west  into  the  Mediterranean, 
Josh,  xvi,  8. 

KANAH,  see  Cana. 

KARKAA,  a  town  of  Ca- 
naan in  the  tribe  of  Judah. 

KARKOR,  a  city  north 
from  the  head  of  Arnon. 


KARNION,  or  Carniojt, 
a  strong  city  of  Palestine,  which 
Maccabeus  took  from  Timo- 
theus,  slaying  twenty-five  thou- 
sand of  the  enemy, 

K  ART  AH,  a  town  of  Pales- 
tine, which  was  given  to  the 
Levites,  in  the  tribe  of  Zebu- 
Ion. 

K  ART  AN,  a  city  of  Canaan 
in  the  tribe  of  Naphtali.  It  was 
a  city  of  refuge  given  to  the 
Levites  of  the  family  of  Ger- 
shom. 

KASBON,  a  city  of  Canaan 
in  the  country  of  Gilead. 

KATTAH,  a  city  in  the 
tribe  of  Zebulon,  Josh,  xix,  15. 

KED  AH,  a  city  as  some 
think  by  Josephus  called  Ca- 
mala,  Jer.  ii,  10,  and  xlix,  28. 

KEDAR,  a  district  to  the 
north  of  Arabia  Felix,  so  called 
from  Cedar  the  son  of  Ishmael 
according  to  Jerome,  who  in 
another  place  says,  that  Kedar 
was  .uninhabitable.  The  peo- 
ple Kedareni  dwelt  in  tents,  like 
the  other  Scenites, Psalm  cxxx, 
and  were  rich  in  cattle,  Isa.  1. 
They  were  of  a  swarthy  com- 
plexion, Cant,  i,  and  excellent 
at  the  bow,  Isa.  xxi. 

KEDEM,    a    province    of 

KEDEMOTH,  a  town  in 
the  tribe  of  Reuben,  east  from 
the  brook  Arnon,  Josh,  xiii, 
18.  It  was  one  of  the  stations 
of  the  Hebrews  in  the  wilder- 


KEt 


KEN 


fiess,    Deut.    ii,  26,  and   was 
given  to  i  he  Levites. 

KEDE8H,  Josephus  calls  it 
Kadesa  or  Eacdesa,  and  the 
Greek  of  Tobit.  xii,  Cades.  It 
lav  O'l  upper  Galilee,  above 
Naason,  having;  Sephel  to  the 
left  or  north.  Kadesh  was  giv- 
en  to  the  tribe  of  Naphtali, 
Josh,  xix,  37,  and  afterwards  a 
cession  of  it  was  made  to  the 
Levites  of  Gershom's  family, 
and  at  length  it  was  declared  a 
city  of  refuge,  Josh,  xx,  7,  and 
xxi,  32.  Of  this  town  was 
Barak,  Judges  iv.  It  stood  on 
a  mountain,  twenty  miles  from 
Tyre. 

Kedesh,  a  town  of  Pa- 
lestine, in  the  tribe  of  Judah, 
Josh,  xv,  23.  Its  exact  situa- 
tion is  not  known,  it  seems 
never  to  have  been  a  place  of 
much  note. 

KEDRON,  a  town  which 
from  the  defeat  and  pursuit  of 
the  Assyrians,  1  Mac.  xvi,  ap- 
pears to  have  stood  on  the  road, 
which  led  from  the  higher  Ju- 
dea  to  Azotus.  In  this  war  the 
place  was  burned  bv  the  Jews. 

KEHELATHAH,  an  en- 
campment of  the  Israelites  in 
the  wilderness;  when  they  left 
Rissa,  they  went  to  Kehela- 
thah,  Numb,  xxxiii,  22. 

KEILAH,  a  town  in  the 
tribe  of  Judah,  Josh,  xv,  44. 
Eusebius  places  it  at  the  dis- 
tance of  seventeen  miles  from 


Eleutheropolis,  on  the  side  of 
Hebron.  St.  Jerome  makes  it 
to  be  only  eight  miles  from 
Hebron.  It  is  said  that  the 
prophet  Habakkuk's  tomb, 
was  shown  there.  In  the 
fourth  century  it  was  a  place 
of  some  note. 

KENATH,  a  town  in  the 
tribe  of  Manasseh  beyond  Jor- 
dan. Numb,  xxxii,  42.  Eu- 
sebius says,  it  is  in  the  Tra- 
chonitis,  somewhere  about 
Bozra,  and  four  miles  from 
Jogbekah.  Pliny  places  it  a- 
mong  the  towns  of  the  Decap- 
olis. 

KENITES,  a  people,  prob- 
ably descendants  of  Abraham 
by  Keturah,  who  dwelt  west- 
ward of  the  Dead  Sea,  and  ex- 
tended themselves  pretty  fat? 
into  Arabia  Petrea,  or  from 
the  south  border  of  Israel  to 
the  Red  Sea.  Jethro,  the  fa- 
ther-in-law of  Moses,  and  a 
priest  of  Midian,  was  a  Ken- 
ite,  Judg.  i,  16,  and  1  Cor.  xi, 
55;  1  Sam,  xv,l,and  in  Saul's 
time  the  Kenites  were  mingled 
with  the  Amalekites.  The 
Kenites  were  some  of  those 
people  whose  lands  God  had 
promised  to  the  descendants  of 
Abraham.  Gen.  xiii,  19.  Yet, 
for  the  sake  of  Jethro,  and  per- 
haps also  on  account  of  their 
being  children  of  Abraham, 
all  of  those,  who  submitted  U 
the  Hebrews,  were  suffered  t* 


mB 


KID 


live  in  their  ov,  n  country;  the 
rest  fled,  in  all  probability,  to 
the  Edomites  and  Amalekites. 
The  lands  of  the  Kenites  were 
in  Judah's  partition.  The 
Ktrnires  dwelt  in  mountains 
and  mcks,  which  were  almost 
inaccessible,  Numb.  xxiv,21. 
After  the  time  of  Saul,  there 
is  no  more  mention  of  the 
Kenites,  though  they  still  sub- 
sisted among  the  Edomues., 
Amalekites,  and  other  Ara- 
bians. 

KENNIZITES,  an  ancient 
people  of  Canaan,  whose  land 
God  promised  to  the  descen- 
dants of  Abraham.  Gen.  xv, 
19.  It  is  believed  that  this 
people  dwelt  in  the  mountains 
south  of  Judea.  A  grand-son 
of  Esau  was  named  Kenaz. 
He  was  probably  the  father  of 
the  Kennizites. 

KERIOTH,  a  town  in  the 
land  of  Moab,  which  was  rav- 
aged by  the  Assyrians  and 
Chaldeans.     Amos  ii,  2. 

KERIOTH- HEZRON,  a 
city  of  the  Holy  Lain!,  in  the 
tribe  of  Judah.  It  was  also 
called  Hazor. 

KEZZIZ,  a  valley  in  the 
tribe  of  Benjamin.  Josh,  xviii, 
21. 

KIBROTH-HATTAA- 
V  AH,  the  graves  of  lust,  one 
of  the  encampments  of  Israel 
in  the  wilderness,  Numb,  xi, 

34, 35;  so  called  because,  when 

J 


they  desired  other  food  besides 
manna,  of  which  they  had  be- 
come tired,  God  sent  them 
quails  in  great  abundance,  but 
while  the  meat  was  yet  in  their 
mouths,  he  symote  them  and 
killed  a  great  number  of  them. 
Psalm  Ixxiii,  30. 

KIDRON,  the  brook  runs 
in  the  valle)  of  Jehoshaphat, 
on  the  west  side  of  Jerusalem, 
between  the  city  and  the  mount 
of  Olives.  It  has  usually  no 
great  quantity  of  water,  and  is 
frequently  quite  dry;  but  upon 
any  sudden  rains,  it  swells  and 
runs  with  great  impetuosity; 
it  was  of  singular  service  to  the 
city,  receiving  the  common 
sewers,  and  upon  every  such 
flood  carried  them  off  into  the 
Dead  Sea. 

Maimonides  reports,  that  a 
foot  causeway,  or  bridge,  sup- 
ported on  urches,extended  from 
the  temple  across  the  valley  of 
the  brc>k  Kidron,  to  the  mount 
of  Olives.  Over  this  bridge 
the  red  cow  was  led  away  to 
be  burned,  in  order  to  procure 
the  ashes  of  purification.  The 
design  of  the  bridge  was  to 
preserve  from  pollution  the  per- 
son, who  led  away  the  heifer, 
whose  ashes  were  to  be  a  uni- 
versal cleansing;  similar  cau- 
tion was  observed  with  the 
she  goat. 

Not  only  the  blood,  poured 
at  the  foot  of  the   altar  in  the 


KIR 


Km 


temple,  but  the  filth,  was  con- 
ducted by  a  drain  into  the 
brook  Kidron.  This,  effectu- 
al confutes  the  absurd  notion 
of  virtue  imparted  to  the  pool 
of  Bethesda  by  the  blood  of  the 
sacrifices,  as  some  have  believ- 
ed. 

KILMx\D,  by  some  sup- 
posed to  be  a  city  of  Media. 
Ezek.  xxvii,  2S. 

KIN  AH,  a  town  in  the  tribe 
of  Judah.  Josh,  xv,  22.  Lat. 
31,  1. 

KIR,  a  city  of  Assyria  or 
Media,  to  which  the  people  of 
Damascus  were  carried  captive 
by  Tiglatbpileser.  Josh,  xv,  9. 

KIR-HERRES,  Jer.  xliii, 
31,  36,  the  same  with  Rab- 
bath-Moab,  otherwise  called 
Ar,  the  capital  of  Moab.  This 
city  was  ruined  by  the  Chal- 
deans and  Assyrians.     See  Ar. 

KIRJATH  JEARIM,  a  city 
of  Canaan,  mentioned  in  Josh; 
xv,  9.  The  same  as  Baalah, 
and  Kirjath-baal,  Sec.  It  was  in 
the  tribe  of  Judah,  near  a  forest, 
nine  or  ten  miles  north-west 
from  Jerusalem.  It  was  one 
of  the  cities  of  the  Gibeonites. 
Here  the  ark  of  God  continu- 
ed for  perhaps  80  or  90  years 
after  its  return  from  the  Philis- 
tines. Josh,  ix,  and  xv,  and 
lSam.  vii,  1,  and  lChron.  xiii. 

KIRJATH,  a  word  which 
signifies  a  city,  whence  it  is  that 
we  so  often  meet  with  it  in  the 


name  of  places    in  Palestine. 
There  was  a  town  of  this  nai 
near    Gibeon,  in  the   tribe   of 
Benjamin.     Josh,  xviii,  23. 

KIRJATH.  AIM,a  town  be-, 
yond  Jordon  ten  miles  from 
Mcdcba,  westward.  Josh,  xiii, 
19.  In  the  time  of  Jerom  and 
Eusebius,  this  was  a  flourish- 
ing village,  inhabited  wholly 
by  Christians,  and  was  called 
Kariatha. 

KIRJATH-ARBA,  the  an- 
cient name  of  Hebron,  Judg.  i, 
10. 

KIRJATH  HUZOTH,  a 
royal  city  of  Balak,  king  of 
Moab,  supposed  to  have  many 
handsome  streets,  as  its  name 
imports,  Num.  xxii,  39. 

KIRJATH-JEARIM,  or 
Psaalah,  a  city  of  Judah, 
upon  the  confines  of  Benjamin, 
where  the  ark  was  lodged  for 
many  years  in  the  house  of  A- 
minadab,  till  David  removed  it 
to  Jerusalem.  Urijah,  the 
prophet,  was  a  native  of  this 
place.  Josh,  xv,  9;  1  Chr.  xiii, 
6.  This  town  is  ten  miles  from 
Jerusalem,  on  the  road  to  Di- 
ospolis  or  Lydda. 

KIRJATH-SANNAH,  a 
city  in  the  tribe  of  Judah,  Josh, 
xv,  49.      See  Debir. 

KIRJATH. SEPHER.  that 
is  to  say,  the  city  of  letter  ,y  or 
books,  otherwise  called  Debir, 
a  city  in  the  tribe  of  Jnriah, 
one  of  those,  which  fell  by  lot 


KIS 


fcts 


to  this  tribe,  and  were  after- 
Wards  given  to  Caleb;  it  was 
taken  by  Othniel,  to  whom 
Caleb  for  his  reward,  gave  his 
daughter  Achsah  in  marriage, 
Josh,  xv,  6, 7;  Judg.  i,  10—13. 

It  is  presumed  by  the  learn- 
ed, that  in  this  town  was  a 
seat  of  learning,  a  college,  or 
university.  Its  other  name, 
Debir,  signifies  an  oracle;  there- 
fore, most  probably  it  was  a 
religious  seminary  for  the  ed- 
ucation of  priests.  One  cir- 
cumstance is  worthy  particu- 
lar notice;  this  seminary  was 
in  existence,  as  early  as  the 
days  of  Joshua,  and,  therefore, 
was  evidently  an  establishment 
of  the  Canaanites,  previous  to 
the  invasion  of  the  Israelites. 
This  fact  goes  far  to  prove  that 
the  invention  of  letters  was 
antecedent  to  the  time  of  Mo- 
ses, and  that  he  was  not  taught 
the  use  of  letters,  or  the  art 
of  writing  on  mount  Sinai,  as 
some  have  supposed.  Moses 
himself  gives  no  intimation  of 
this  sort,  and  letters  were  evi- 
dently in  use  before  his  day. 
See  Debif» 

KISHION,  a  town  of  Issa- 
char,  yielded  to  the  Levites  of 
Gershom's  family. 

KISHON,  a  brook,  which 
from  mount  Tabor  runs  east 
into  the  sea  of  Galilee.  It 
seems  that  Tabor  constitutes  a 
part  of  the  height  of  land,  be- 


tween the  Mediterranean  Sea 
and  the  lake  of  Galilee.  Some 
of  its  springs  proceed  east, 
some  west.  Or  perhaps,  as  in 
several  instances  in  New  Eng- 
land,the  same  fountain  may  send 
part  of  its  water  to  one  point, 
and  part  in  an  opposite  course, 
and  on  this  account,  two 
streams5having  the  same  source, 
are  called  by  the  same  name. 
See  the  next  article. 

Indeed,  since  writing  the  a- 
bove,  I  find  that  Bonfrerius 
says,  that  this  torrent  has  its 
fountain  in  mount  Tabor; 
which  has  two  channels,  and 
two  streams,  proceeding  to  op- 
posite regions;  one  runs  east 
to  the  sea  of  Galilee,  and  is 
called  the  Minor  Kishon,  the 
other  running  west,  pours  it- 
self into  the  Mediterranean, 
and  is  called  the  Greater  Kish- 
on. Accordingly  in  his  great 
map  of  the  Holy  Land,  he  has 
drawn  the  Kishon,  like  a  canal 
by  the  base  of  Tabor,  extend- 
ing from  sea  to  sea. 

Kishon,  a  celebrated  river 
in  the  land  of  Israel,  having 
its  source  in  mount  Tabor,  and 
descending  west  through  the 
fertile  plain  of  Esdraelon  falls 
into  the  Mediterranean  at  the 
port  of  Acre.  Several  im- 
portant events  have  taken  place 
near  this  river.  It  seems  that 
the  battle  between  Sisera  and 
Barak  was  in  this  region,  Judg. 


KIT 


LAC 


iv,  and  probably  in  the  time  of 
a  violent  freshet.  Hence  in  her 
song  Deborah  says,  "the  river 
Kishon  swept  them  away,  that 
ancient  river  the  river  Kishon." 
When  the  prophet  Elijah  had 
convinced  the  people  of  Israel, 
that  Jehovah  was  the  true  God, 
he  commanded  them  to  seize 
the  prophets  of  Baal,  and  bring 
them  to  the  brook  Kishon,  and 
he  slew  them  there.  Mr.Maun- 
drel  tells  us  that  this  river  takes 
its  way  down  the  plain  of  Es- 
draelon,  and  proceeds  close  a- 
Iong  the  foot  of  mount  Carmel, 
to  the  sea.  When  he  saw  it, 
the  water  was  low,  but  in  pass- 
ing along  the  stream,  he  saw 
the  places  where  many  torrents 
in  a  rainy  season  fall  from  the 
mountains  into  the  channel, 
which  must  raise  it  exceeding- 
ly at  such  times. 
"  KITHLISH,  a  town  belong- 
ing to  the  tribe  of  Judah,  Josh, 
xv,  40. 

KITRON,  a  city  of  Canaan 
appropriated  to  Zebulon,  which 
those  of  that  tribe  could  not 
take  from  theCanaanites,  Judg. 
i,  30.  It  was  a  very  strong 
place,  and  the  greatest  city  in 
Galilee.  It  is  noted  in  the 
Talmuds  for  being  the  place 
of  a  university.  Here  taught 
Rabbi  Judah  the  holy,  who 
died  here. 

KITTIM.  It  may  be  doubt- 
ed whether  this  and  a  variety 


of  similar  words  with  a  plural 
termination  in  Hebrew  were 
the  names  of  individuals  or 
tribes.  The  latter  is  perhaps 
the  most  probable.  Kittim 
was  the  son  of  Javan  and  great 
grandson  of  Noah.  Kittim,  if 
considered  a  people,  descended 
from  Japhet,  and  settled  in 
Asia  Minor  or  Greece.  See 
Chittim.  Josephus  by  Kittim 
understands  the  isle  of  Cy- 
prus; others  the  isle  of  Chios; 
others  Cilicia,  and  others  A- 
chaia.  The  first  book  of  Mac- 
cabees and  Calmet  understand 
Macedonia.  It  calls  Alexander, 
king  of  the  Kittims,  and  says 
that  Perseus,  king  of  the  Kit- 
tims was  overcome  by  the 
Romans.  Daniel  speaks  of 
the  ships  of  the  Kittims,  which 
Bochart  supposes  were  the  Ro- 
mans, and  that  Kittim  signifies 
Italy.  But  Calmet  thinks  that 
although  the  Roman  fleet  be 
meant,  it  was  because  it  lay 
in  the  harbors  of  Macedonia. 

KOA,  a  region  in  Babylonia, 
Ezek.  xxiii,  28. 

LACED^EMON,  oth- 
erwise called  Sparta,  a  cele- 
brated city  in  the  Peloponne- 
sus, I  Mace,  xii,  formerly  a 
most  powerful  and  flourishing 
commonwealth,  the  inhabitants 
of  which  were  no  less  distin- 
guished for  their  eminent  vir- 
tues and  purity  of  manners,  than 
for  their  warlike  exploits,  by 


L^K 


LAO 


which  they  acquired  not  only 
the  sovereignty  of  Greece, 
which  they  maintained  a  great 
many  years,  but  prescribed  laws 
to  a  great  part  of  Asia.  The 
city  stood  on  the  Eurotas,  and 
though  smaller  than  Athens, 
was  equal  in  power.  In  its 
most  flourishing  state  it  had  no 
walls;  the  bravery  of  its  citizens 
rendered  walls  unnecessary. 
In  the  time  of  Cassander,  walls, 
however,  were  erected,  which 
were  destroyed  by  Philipcemen, 
188  years  after  Christ.  Some- 
time after,  it  was  reduced  to 
be  a  Roman  province  by  Mum- 
mius.  The  present  town  of 
Misistra  stands  about  a  mile 
from  the  ancient  Lacedsemon. 

LACHISH,  a  city  of  Pales- 
tine,  in  the  tribe  of  Judah,  Josh. 
x,  23,  and  xv,  39.  Eusebius 
and  St.  Jerome  tells  us,  that  in 
their  time  there  was  a  village 
called  Lachish,  7  miles  from 
Eleutheropoiis,  southward. 

LAHMAS,  a  town  in  the 
tribe  of  Judah,  Josh,  xv,  40. 

LAISH,  was  called  Losem, 
also  Puneas,  and  afterwards 
Ccesarea  Fhilippi,  and  lastly, 
Nerorias.  Some  suppose  Dan 
and  Laish  the  same.  But  Cal- 
met  says,  that  Dan  was  four 
miles  distant  towards  Tyre. 
This  was  a  place  in  the  tribe  of 
Asher,  and  subdued  by  soldiers 
from  Dan. 

LAKUM,  a  city  in  the  tribe 


of    Naphtali,  Joshua  xix,  33. 

LAND,  denotes  often  the 
country  of  the  Israelites,  or 
that  particular  district  or  coun- 
try immediately  spoken  of.  See 
Earth. 

LAODICEA,  there  are  sev- 
eral cities  of  this  name,  but  the 
scripture  speaks  only  of  that  in 
Phrygia,  upon  the  river  Lycus, 
near  Colossae.  Its  ancient 
name  was  Diospolis.  It  was 
afterwards  called  Rhoas.  Last- 
ly, Antiochus.  The  son  of 
Stratonice  rebuilt  it,  and  called 
it  Laodicea,  from  the  name  of 
his  wife,  Laodice.  St.  Paul 
never  was  in  this  city,  and  the 
faithful  of  Laodicea  had  "never 
seen  his  face  in  the  flesh,"  Col. 
ii,   1. 

This  city,  according  to  Cice- 
ro, was  one  of  the  most  com- 
mercial and  wealthy  of  Asia. 
It  is  now  a  mass  of  rubbish 
andf  ruins;  the  chief  of  which 
that  have  been  mentioned  by 
travellers,  are  three  large  am- 
phitheatres, and  a  circus.  Ma- 
ny other  ruin's  of  mighty  fabric 
also  proclaim  its  former  gran- 
deur; but  time  and  earthquakes 
have  defaced  all  things,  and  left 
scarcely  one  stone  upon  anoth- 
er. Tacitus  says,  that  when 
Nero  was  fourth  time  consul, 
Laodicea  was  shaken  by  an 
earthquake,  but  by  its  own 
riches  being  rebuilt,  it  suffered 
the  same  judgment  again,  when 


LAO 


LAO 


it  was  deserted  by  its  inhabit- 
ants, and  lost  not  only  its  opu- 
lence, but  its  name,  and  exist- 
ence, being  now  known  only  in 
the  records  of  history. 

A  modern  traveller  says,  that 
Laodiceais  now  utterly  desolat- 
ed, and  without  any  inhabitant, 
excepting  wolves,  and  jackals, 
and  foxes.  One  of  the  theatres, 
which  remain  to  proclaim  the 
former  opulence  and  popula- 
tion of  the  city,  would  contain 
20  or  30,000 'people. 
*  From  another  traveller  we 
make  the  following  extracts: 
Many  traces  of  the  city  wall 
may  be  seen,  with  broken  col- 
umns, and  pieces  of  marble. 
Within  the  walls  the  whole 
surface  is  covered  with  pedes- 
tals and  fragments.  The  lux- 
ury of  the  citizens  may  be  in- 
ferred from  their  sumptuous 
buildings,  and  from  two  spa- 
cious theatres  in  the  side  of  the 
hill,  fronting  northward  and 
westward,  eaih  with  its  seats 
rising  in  numerous  rows  one 
above  another.  Beneath  the 
hill  on  the  north  are  stone  cof- 
fins, broken,  subverted,  or  sunk 
in  the  ground.  Laodicea  with 
Colosse  its  neighbor,  was  en- 
riched by  sheep,  whose  fleeces 
exceeded  the  Milesian  in  soft- 
ness, and  the  jetty  raven  in  col- 
or. Some  shepherds  came  to 
the  ruins  with  their  flocks,  and 
in  the  evening  to  the  water 
32 


near  our  tent.     I  remarked  on- 
ly   two  sheep,  that  were  very 
black  and  glossy.     Often  dam- 
aged by  earthquakes,  Laodicea 
rose  again  by  its  own  opulence, 
or  the  munificence  of  the  Ro- 
man emperors.    These  resour- 
ces  failing,  the  city  became  a 
scene  of  ruins.     About  A.  D. 
1097,  it  was  possessed  by   the 
Turks,and  submitted  to  Ducas, 
general  of  the  emperor  Alexis. 
In  1150  the  Turks  sacked  some 
of  the  cities  of  Phrygia  by  the 
Meander;  but  were  defeated  by 
the  emperor  John  Comnenus, 
who  took  Laodicea,  and  built 
anew,    or  repaired   her   walls. 
About  1161  it  was  again  un- 
fortified.    Many  of  the  inhab- 
itants were    then    killed    with 
their  Christian  bishop,  or  car- 
ried with   their  cattle  into  cap- 
tivity by  the  Turks.     In  1190 
the  German  emperor,  Frederic 
Barbarossa,    going  by  Laodi- 
cea, with  his  army  toward  Pa- 
lestine on  a   crusade,    was  so 
kindly  received  that  he  prayed 
on  his  knees  for  the  prosperity 
of  the  place.     In  1196  tiiis  re- 
gion   with    Caria,     was    again 
dreadfully    ravaged     by      the 
Turks.     On    the    invasion    of 
the  Tartars  in  1255,  the  sultan 
gave  Laodicea  to  the  Romans; 
but  they  were  unable  to  defend 
it,    and  it  fell  again    into   the 
hands  of  the  Turks.     We  saw 
no  traces  of  cither    houses,  or 


LAS 


LEB 


churches,  or  mosques;  all  was 
silence  and  solitude.  Sev- 
eral strings  of  camels  passed 
eastward  of  the  hill,  but  a  fox, 
which  we  first  discovered  by  its 
ears  peeping  over  a  brow,  was 
the  only  inhabitant  of  Laodi- 
cea,  105  E.  of  Smyrna.  Lat. 
38,  30. 

That  the  world  might  learn 
his  anger  against  careless  sin- 
ners, God  pronounced  a  woe 
against  the  "lukewarm"  church 
of  Laodicea;  he  declared  to 
them,  that  he  would  "spue 
them  out  of  his  mouth,"  that 
is,  utterly  destroy  them;  judg- 
ments have  fallen  on  them  and 
they  are  destroyed;  notachurch, 
not  a  Christian  family,  not  a  sol- 
itary hermit,  remains  to  invoke 
the  name  of  the  Redeemer. 
Do  not  such  fulfilments  of 
prophecy  establish  the  divinity 
of  revelation? 

LASHAH.  Moses,  (Gen. 
x,  19)  describing  thed  limits  of 
the  land  of  Canaan  says,  that 
it  run  southward  as  far  as  La- 
shah.  The  Chaldee  and  St.  Je- 
rome think  Lashah  to  be  the 
same  as  Challirhoe,  which  lies 
northward  of  the  Dead  Sea, 
and  discharges  itself  into  it. 
But  it  is  much  more  natural 
to  understand  it  of  the  city  of 
Lashah,  Lusa,  or  Elusa,  which 
was  at  pretty  near  an  equal  ens- 
tance  between  the  Dead  Sea 
and  Red  Sea. 


LASEA,  a  town  on  the  is- 
land of  Crete.  Its  exact  situa- 
tion is  not  known.     Carpenter. 

LEBANON,  a  celebrated 
mountain  on  the  north  of  Pa- 
lestine, extending  from  the 
neighborhood  of  Sidon  west,  to 
the  neighborhood  of  Damascus 
east,  being  150  miles  in  extent. 
It  consists  of  two  principal 
chains  or  ridges;  one  of  which 
is  called  Libanus,  or  Lebanon, 
the  other  Anti-Libanus.  These 
ranges  proceed  in  a  parallel  di- 
rection, and  remarkably  resem- 
ble each  other;  but  which  of 
them  is  Libanus,  and  which  An- 
ti-Libanus, geographers  have 
not  uniformly  agreed.  Though 
men  eminent  in  the  science 
have  thought  otherwise,  I  think 
the  southern  range  on  the  bor- 
ders of  Palestine,  is  the  Leba- 
non proper,  or  Libanus.  This 
is  the  opinion  of  those  who  now 
inhabit  the  country..  If  this 
range  were  not  Lebanon,  how 
should  Lebanon  be  so  familiar 
to  the  Jews,  as  it  evidently  was? 
The  mountains  of  Lebanon 
have  Armenia  north,  Mesopo- 
tamia east,  the  Mediteranean 
west.  They  are  composed  of 
four  rampires,  or  retreating 
piles,  one  above  another.  The 
first  grade  is  fruitful;  the  sec- 
ond is  barren,  being  covered 
with  rocks,  flints,  and  thorns. 
The  third,  notwithstanding  its 
superior   elevation,    enjoys    a 


LEB 


LEV 


perpetual  spring,  the  trees  are 
always  green,  and  the  orchards 
loaded   with  fruit.      The  last 
ascent   is    uninhabitable,    and 
covered  with  perpetual  snow. 
Mr.  Maundrel,  Tacitus,   Rad- 
zeville,  Rasewolf,  and  perhaps 
some  other  writers,    speak  of 
Lebanon,   as    though    it   was 
always  white  with  snow.     Mr. 
Maundrel    says  that  "the   ce- 
dars  grow  among  the  snow." 
Perhaps   he  thought  so;     but 
bad  he  always  lived  in  a  coun- 
try of  snow,   he   would   have 
known  better.     It  is   true   its 
name  denotes  white;  so  we  call 
the  highest  mountains  of  New- 
England  the  White  Hills;  be- 
cause they  were  observed  to  be 
longer  white  with   snow  than 
the  surrounding  country;  but 
no  snow  is  found  there  except- 
ing  in  some  shaded  chasms, 
from  June  to  October.     They 
are  free  from   snow,  perhaps, 
four  months  in  common  years. 
Nor    can  justice  be   done   to 
Lebanon   without    remarking, 
that  La  Roque  says,  that  the 
snow    of  Lebanon    begins    to 
melt  in  April,  and  is  not  seen 
after  July,  nor  is  any  left  but  in 
clifts,   where  the  sun  does  not 
shine;  he  says,  "the  snow  does 
not   fall  again  till  December." 
Thus  the  snow  is  absent  from 
Lebanon,  probably, rather  long- 
er than  from  the  highest  moun- 
tains of  New  Ham  pshire.  W  ith- 


out  this,  its  prolific  vegetation 
would  be  incredible  and  im- 
possible. 

LEBONAH,  Judges  xxi, 
19.  It  is  said,  that  Shiloh  lies  . 
northward  of  Bethel,  and  south- 
ward of  Lebonah.  Maundrel 
takes  it  to  be  a  place  called 
Chan  Leban,  four  leagues  from 
Sichem,  southward,  and  two 
leagues  from  Bethel. 

LEGIO,  though  not  men- 
tioned in  scripture,  it  is  fre- 
quently referred  to  in  this  work, 
and  it  is,  therefore,  of  use  to 
know  its  situation.  It  was  a 
town  of  Palestine,  which  lay  at 
the  foot  of  mount  Carmel, 
fifteen  miles  west  from  Naza- 
reth. It  is  supposed  that  the 
place  is  now  called  Legune.  It 
was  celebrated  in  the  time  of 
Eusebius  and  Jerome,  and 
was  the  station  of  a  Roman 
legion,  to  defend  the  passage 
from  Ptolemais  to  Cassarea. 

LEVI,  the  third  son  of  Ja- 
cob. This  tribe,  for  refusing 
to  worship  the  golden  calf  ob- 
tained the  priesthood,  which 
had  been  given  to  the  oldest 
sons.  Many  excellent  persons 
were  of  this  tribe,  as  Moses, 
Aaron,  Phinens,  Heli,  Samuel, 
Zacharias,  John,  and  others. 
When  they  entered  the  wilder- 
derness  their  men  were  22,300. 
To  them  were  assigned  48 
cities  in  the  other  tribes.  I 
add  a  circumstance    seriously 


LEV 


LIB 


mentioned  by  Dr.  Wells.  "A- 
mong  the  Levitical  cities,  thir- 
teen were  assigned  to  the  chil- 
dren of  Aaron.  All  Levites 
were  not  priests;  the  priest- 
hood belonged  to  the  house  of 
Aaron,  and  concerning  the  thir- 
teen cities  for  the  priests,  it  is 
worthy  of  notice  that  they  all 
fell,  one  excepted,  in  the  tribes 
of  Judah  and  Benjamin.  This 
providence  in  so  ordering  the 
lot,  is  not  so  noticeable  on  ac- 
count of  the  vicinity  of  Jerusa- 
lem to  these  tribes,  where  the 
priests  were  obliged  to  attend 
the  solemnities  of  their  religion, 
as  in  its  being  a  provision  a- 
gainst  the  revolt  of  the  ten 
tribes  in  subsequent  ages.  Had 
the  cities  of  the  priests  been 
situated  in  the  tribes  which  re- 
volted, doubtless  the  kings  of 
those  revolted  tribes  would 
have  forbidden  the  priests  to 
go  to  Jerusalem,  and  the  Jew- 
ish dispensation  would  have 
terminated  before  "the  fulness 
of  time"  was  come.  We  may 
believe  that  the  all  wise  God 
did  so  order  the  lots  of  the  thir- 
teen cities  of  the  priests,  that 
twelve  of  them  fell  within  the 
tribes  of  Judah  and  Benjamin, 
which  adhered  to  the  house  of 
David.  The  other,  it  is  prob- 
able, was  on  the  border  of  Ju- 
dah, so  as  to  receive  no  dis- 
turbance from  its  own  govern- 
ment.    It  seems  probable  from 


scripture,  that  though  ten  tribes  x 
generally  revolted  from  David, 
yet  we  need  not  suppose  that 
every  individual  village  or 
town  was  immediately  at  the 
disposal  of  the  insurgents,  the 
kings  of  Israel.  Accordingly 
we  find,  1  Chron.  vi,  57 — 60, 
that  Ashan,  the  sacerdotal  city, 
which  was  in  the  tribe  of  Sime- 
on, is  reckoned  in  the  tribe  of 
Judah. 

LIBNAH,  one  of  the  en- 
campments of  Israel  in  the  wil- 
derness, Numb,  xxxiii,  20. 

Libnah,  a  city  in  the  tribe 
of  Asher.  Probably  so  called 
from  the  whiteness  of  the  soil, 
as  its  name  imports. 

L  i  b  n  a  h  ,  a  city  in  the  sou  th- 
ern  part  of  the  tribe  of  Judah, 
about  12  or  16  miles  south- 
west from  Jerusalem,  Josh,  xv, 
42,  of  which  a  cession  was 
made  to  the  priests  for  their 
habitations,  and  which  was  de- 
clared a  city  of  refuge,  1  Chr. 
vi,  57.  Kusebius  and  St.  Je-. 
rotne  say,  that  it  was  in  the 
canton  of  Eleutheropolis;  and 
that  it  was  a  village  in  the 
fourth  century.  This  was 
once  a  strong  city  on  the  fron- 
tier towards  Edom.  In  a  neigh- 
boring plain  185,000  men  of 
Sennacharib's  army  were  de- 
stroyed in  one  night,  probabl * 
by  the  Simoom,  or  fiery  v\  ind  of 
the  desert,  which  is  common, 
and  often  fatal  to  people,  who 


LUU 


LYB 


are  abroad;  or,  as  the  Hebrews 
express  ir,  by  an  [angel  of  the 
Lord.  Topographical  Dic- 
tionary. 

LIBIA,  or  Libia.  See 
Iiybia 

LOD,  otherwise  Lydda, 
or  Diospolis.     See  Lydda. 

LODEBAR,  was  probably 
beyond  Jordan,  and  in  the  half 
tribe  of  Manasseh,  and  not  far 
from  Mahanaim;  or  a  city  of 
mount  Gilead.     Lat.  32,  17. 

LUBIMS,  a  people  of  Afri- 
ca, inhabiting  the  country  near 
Egypt.  The  name  is  derived 
from  a  Hebrew  root,  which 
signifies  to  thirst,  which  very 
expressively  describes  Lybia, 
a  sandy,  thirsty  land.  See 
Lybia. 

LUDIM,  a  people  frequent- 
ly mentioned  in  scripture. 
Bochart  thinks  that  they  were 
Abyssinians.  In  Isaiah  lxvi, 
19,  Lud  is  associated  with  Pul 
or  Phiil,  and  described  as  a  na- 
tion, who  draw  the  bow,  also 
inJer.  xlvi,  19.  In  Ezek.  xxx, 
5,  it  is  in  our  translation  taken 
for  Lydia,  being,  however, 
mentioned  with  the  mingled 
people  or  Abyssinians.  It 
seems  to.be  plainly  situate  in 
Africa;  but  there  were  prob- 
ably two  countries  of  this  name. 

LUHITH,  a  place  or  can- 
ton in  the  Moabite  country. 
Isaiah  xv,  b,  andjer.  xlviii,  5. 
Eusebius  and  St.    Jerome  say 


that  Luhith  is  situated  between 
the  cities  of  Ar  and  Zoar,  and 
consequent})  to  the  cast  of  the 
Dead  Sea.  In  Lhe  opinion  of 
others,  it  was  a  mountain. 
From  the  passage  in  Jeremiah, 
it  was  evidently  an  elevated 
situation,  but  whether  a  hill, 
or  a  town  on  a  hiil,  it  does  not 
appear;  but  being  associated 
with  other  places,  which  were 
towns,  it  probably  was  a  town. 
Lat.  31,  35. 

LUZ,  a  city  appropriated  to 
the  sons  of  Joseph,  three  miles 
from  Sichem.  Josh,  xvi,  2; 
but  Sanson  says,  this  city  was 
beyond  the  limits  of  Judea  and 
probably  in  Macedonia. 

Luz,  the  ancient  name  of 
Bethel,  Gen.  xxviii,  19.  See 
tfethel. 

Luz,  a  city  in  Arabia  IV- 
trea. 

LYBIA,  or  Libya,  was  a 
province  of  Egypt,  which  in. 
the  opinion  of  Calmet,  was 
peopled  by  the  descendants  of 
Lehabim,  the  son  of  Mizraim. 
This  province  reached  from 
Alexandria,  as  far  as  Cyrerle, 
and  perhaps  farther.  Nahum 
iii,  9,  or  Libya,  Jer.  xlvi,  0. 
Some  Jews,  who  came  from 
Lybia  to  Jerusalem,  were  con- 
verted by  the  remarkable  ser- 
mon of  Peter  on  the  day  of 
Pentecost,  and  on  their  return 
probably  gathered  churches  in 
their    own     country;    but    for 


LYC 


LYD 


more  than  a  thousand  years 
they  have  hardly  had  any  ex- 
istence. This  is  now  one  of 
the  most  miserable  countries 
in  the  world;  it  is  chiefly  a  re- 
gion of  sand  and  desolation  in- 
habited by  a  few  wandering 
Arabs,  who  plunder  all  they 
meet.  The  caravans  of  Africa 
take  a  circuitous  rout  to  avoid 
these  people.  This  country  is 
now  called  Barca,  and  is  separat- 
ed from  Tripoli  by  the  gulf  of 
Sidra.  It  is  characterized  by  its 
name,  the  desart  of  whirlwinds. 
Here  once  stood  the  temple  of 
Jupiter  Ammon.     Lat.  29. 

LYCAONI  A,  a  province  of 
Asia  Minor,  which  makes  part 
of  Cappadocia,  having  Galatia 
to  the  north,  Pisidia  to  the 
south,  Cappadocia  to  the  east, 
and  Phrygia  to  the  west.  St, 
Paul  preached  in  Lycaonia  in 
the  cities  of  Iconium  and  Lys- 
tra.  Paul  and  Barnabas  plant- 
ed churches  here,  which  were 
supported,  till  the  country  was 
subjugated  by  the  Saracens. 
Lat.  59. 

LYC  I  A,  a  province  of  Asia 
Minor,  having  the  province  of 
Asia,  properly  so  called,  to  the 
north,  the  Mediterranean  to 
the  south,  and  Paraphilia  to  the 
east.  St.  Paul,  Actsxxvii,5, 
entered  on  board  a  ship  at  the 
port  of  Myra  in  Lycia,  when  he 
went  to  Rome,  in  order  to  ap- 
pear before  Nero.     Myria  was 


the  capital  city  of  this  province, 
it  had  anciently  23  cities,  and 
several  large  towns.  The  Ly- 
cians  were  a  colony  from  Crete, 
and  were  celebrated  for  their 
justice  and  equity  in  more  an- 
cient times;  but  for  sixty  years 
before  the  birth  of  Jesus  Christ, 
many  of  them  on  the  sea  coast 
devoted  themselves  to  piracy. 
In  Lycia  was  the  mountain 
Chimera,  a  volcano  six  miles 
from  the  sea.     Lat.  38. 

LYDDA,  in  Hebrew  Lud, 
or  Lod,  by  the  Greeks  and 
Latins  called  Lydda  of  Diospo- 
lis,  lay  in  the  way  from  Jeru- 
salem to  Cassarea  Philippi,  four 
or  five  leagues  to  the  east  of 
Joppa,  and  about  eleven  from 
Jerusalem.  Lydda  belonged 
to  the  tribe  of  Ephraim.  On 
the  12th  of  January,  1801,  says 
Dr.  Wittman,  as  we  approach- 
ed the  town  of  Lydda,  we  saw 
the  Arab  inhabitants  busily  em- 
ployed in  sowing  their  barley. 
The  soil  of  these  fine  and  exten- 
sive plains  is  a  rich  and  black 
mould,  which  with  proper  care 
and  industry  might  be  rendered 
extremely  fertile. 

After  the  destruction  of  Je- 
rusalem, the  Jews  set  up  sever- 
al academies  in  different  parts 
of  the  country,  one  was  at  Lyd- 
da, which  produced  many  cel- 
ebrated Doctors.  Lydda  is 
by  the  Greeks,  called  Diospo- 
lis,  or  the  city  of  Jupiter,  pi  oh 


LYD 


LYD 


ably  because  a  temple  in  this 
city  was  dedicated  to  Jupiter. 
Since  the  Crusades,  the  Chris- 
tians have  called  the  place  St. 
George;  because  here  that  saint 
suffered  martyrdom.  Here  the 
emperor  Justinian  erected  a 
church.  Another  traveller 
says,  that  Lydda  is  situated  in 
a  plain,  about  a  league  north 
from  Rama.  It  is  so  entirely 
ruined,  as  to  be  only  a  miser- 
able village,  noticeable  only 
lor  a  market  held  once  in  a 
week.  The  traders  resort  here 
to  sell  cottons  and  other  com- 
modities. This  ruined  place 
was  once,  according  to  Jose- 
phus,  equal  to  a  great  city. 
The  Jews  had  a  proverb  that, 
the  women  of  Lydda  would 
knead  their  dough,  go  up  to 
the  temple  at  Jerusalem,  offer 
their  prayers,  and  return  home, 
before  it  was  leavened,  imply- 
ing that  they  so  arranged  their 
household  affairs  and  religious 
services,  that  they  did  not  in- 
terfere with  each  other.  Lat. 
32,  6. 

LYDIA,  a  province  of  Asia 
Minor,  peopled  by  the  sons 
of  Lud.  There  is  mention  of 
this  country  under  the  name  of 
Lydia,  only  in  the  first  book 
of  the  Maccabees  viii,  8;  Isaiah 
lxvi,  19  mentions  it  under  the 
name  of  Lud,  which  perhaps 
may  be  spoken  of  the  country 
of  the  same  name   in   Egypt. 


Lydia  was  situated  to  the  east 
of  Ionia,  south  of  Mysia,  west 
of  the  great  Phrygia,  and  north 
of  Caria,  between  37  and  39  of 
north  latitude;  but  in  the  more 
flourishing  times  of  their  last 
kings  Croesus  and  Alyattes, 
the  territory  was  much  more 
extensive.  The  principal  cit- 
ies were  Sandis,  Philadelphia, 
Thyatira,  Manesia,  he.  The 
Lydian  kings  were  of  three 
dynasties,  all  of  whom  togeth- 
er must  have  reigned  about 
6  or  700  years.  After  the 
country  had  been  overrun  by 
the  Gomedians,  or  Cimmeri- 
ans, about  Anno  Mundi  3368, 
and  after  Croesus  had  extended 
his  empire  over  the  country, 
from  the  iEgean  sea  to  the  river 
Halys,  Cyrus  conquered 
Lydia.  Since  this,  it  has  suc- 
cessively been  the  prey  of  the 
Greeks,  Romans,  Saracens, 
and  Turks.  Anciently,  the 
Lydians  were  a  remarkably 
wicked  race  of  people;  the 
women,  it  is  said,  earned  their 
marriage  portion  by  prostitu- 
tion, and  after  their  subjugation, 
they  gave  themselves  up  to 
idleness  and  effeminacy.  The 
gospel,  however,  was  early  in- 
troduced here,  and  some  ves- 
tiges of  Christianity  remain 
to  this  day.  Their  music  was 
soft  and  effeminate. 

Lydia,  in  Egypt  is  a  prov- 
ince of  that  country  peopled  by 


MAC 


MAC 


Ludim,  the  son  of  Mizraim. 
Of  this  province  the  sacred 
authors  speak  frequently.  See 
Jer.  xlvi,  9;  and  Ezek.  xxvii — 
xxxv.  The  situation  and  ex- 
tent of  this  Lydia,  is  not  dis* 
tinctly  known.  See  Ludim. 
Lat.  37,  30. 

LYSTRA,  a  city  of  Lycao- 
nia,  of  which  Timothy  was  a 
native.    Lat.  39,  15. 

MAACHATH,  a  city  of 
the  Amorites  on  the  Jordan, 
near  mount  Hermon,  Josh,  xii, 
5.   It  was  situated  in  Naphtali. 

MAACAH,  Maachah,  or 
Beth-Maacha,  a  little  prov- 
ince of  Syria,  to  the  east  and 
north  of  the  sources  of  the  riv- 
er Jordan,  upon  the  road  to 
Damascus. 

MAARATH,  a  city  of  Ca- 
naan in  the  tribe  of  Judah. 
Josh,  xv,  59. 

MACEDONIA,  a  large 
province  of  Greece,  bounded 
on  the  north  by  the  mountain 
of  Hemus,  on  the  south  by 
Epirus  and  Achaia,  on  the  east 
by  the  iEgean  sea,  and  on  the 
west  by  the  Aonian  and  Adri- 
atic seas.  Its  ancient  name 
was  Emmathia;  but  from  the 
kings  of  Macedon,  it  was  after- 
wards called  Macedonia,  and 
became  famous,  being  the 
third  kingdom,  which,  under 
Alexander  the  great,  obtained 
the  empire  of  the  world,  and 
had  no  less  than  a  hundred  and 


fifty   nations    under  its   com- 
mand.    Whitby. 

F.  Calmet  thinks,  that 
Macedonia  was  peopled  by 
Kittim.  the  son  of  Javan,  and 
that,  as  often  as  Kittim,  or 
Chittim  is  mentioned  in  the 
Hebrew  text,  Macedonia  is  to 
be  understood.  See  Chittim. 
This  country  submitted  to 
Rome  about  A.  M.  3856;  after 
being  subject  to  the  Romans 
nearly  1,600  years,  it  fell  under 
the  yoke  of  the  Ottoman 
Turks,  who  still  sway  their  fa- 
tal sceptre  over  this  country. 
Some  of  its  chief  cities  were 
Thessalonica,Amphipolis,Phil- 
ippi,  Berea,  and  Polla.  St. 
Paul  was  invited  by  the  angel 
of  this  province,  who  appeared 
to  him  at  Troas,  to  come  and 
preach  the  gospel  in  Macedo- 
nia.    Lat.  41. 

MACH AERUS,  or  Mache- 
ronte,  a  city  and  port  east  of 
Jordan,  in  the  tribe  of  Reuben, 
north  and  east  of  lake  Asphal- 
tites,  about  two  or  three  leagues 
from  the  river,  and  not  far  from 
its  mouth.  Here  John  the 
Baptist  was  put  in  prison,  and 
beheaded  by  order  of  Herod. 
Josephus.     Lat.  31,  27. 

MACHPELAH,  or  Mac- 
pel  a,  the  name  of  the  plain  in 
which  the  cave  was  situate, 
which  Abraham  bought  of 
Ephron;  it  lay  near  to  Hebron, 
and  is  the  first  piece  of  land 


MAG 


MAG 


mentioned  in  history,  as  sold 
or  bought.  In  the  cave  here, 
Abraham  and  the  other  patri- 
archs with  their  wives  were 
buried.  Hence  it  is  a  great 
resort  of  pilgrims.  A  church 
built  over  the  cave  or  tomb  is 
now  turned  into  a  mosque,  in- 
to which  neither  Jews  nor 
Christians  are  allowed  to  enter; 
but  are  permitted  to  look 
through  certain  holes  made  in 
the  walls.  Here,  says  a  trav- 
eller, "We  Christians  said  our 
prayers  in  the  best  manner  we 
were  able.  The  Jews  also  at- 
tended with  great  assiduity,  and 
poured  out  divers  odoriferous 
things,  and  burned  perfumes, 
and  wax  candles."  M  deValle. 

MaDMANNAH,  or  Me- 
demene,  a  city  belonging  to 
Simeon,  Josh,  xv,  31.  It  was 
first  given  to  Judah.  Eusebius 
places  it  towards  Gaza.  See 
Isaiah  x,  31.  It  was  deserted 
by  its  people  for  fear  of  the 
Assyrians. 

MADON,  a  city  of  the  land 
of  Canaan.  Calmet  believes 
the  true  reading  to  be  M.iron, 
instead  of  Madon,  and  we 
know  of  a  place  called  Maro- 
nia  in  Syria,  about,  thirty  miles 
from  Antioch,  to  the  north  of 
mount  Libanus.  Madon  or 
Maron,  is  read  in  the  Hebrew 
of  Joshua  xii,  19. 

MAGDALA.  Where  this 
city  was  is  uncertain.  St.  Mark 
35 


says,  that  Jesus  Christ  came  to 
Dalmanutha.  St.  Matthew  says 
he  went  to  Mageda;  the  Greek 
of  Matthew  is  Magdala.  The 
Syriac,  Arabic,  and  several  an-r 
cient  Greek  manuscripts  read 
Magdan.  The  question  is 
where  was  Magdan,  or  Dalma? 
nutha?  Bochart  thought  Ma- 
gedan  or  Medan  was  a  source 
of  the  Jordan,  called  Dan,  at 
the  foot  of  Lebanon.  Here, 
invited  by  the  pleasantness  off 
the  situation,  and  the  conven- 
ience of  traffic,  great  numbers 
of  Arabs,  Saracens,  and  Par- 
thians  settled  and  kept  a  fair, 
for  which  reason  it  was  called 
Medan,  in  Arabic,  the  fair, 
Hegesippus  calls  this  place 
Melda  or  Meldan,  which  he 
interprets  a  fair  or  market. 
Of  Meldan,  says  Calmet,  may 
be  made  Delmana,  or  Del  ma- 
nata,  or  Delmanu  ha.  Thus 
Medan,  Magedan,  Delm.ma, 
and  Delmanutha,  will  be  the 
same.  Eusebius  and  Jerome 
place  M  .geclm  near  to  Gerasa, 
eas>  of  the  Jordan,  and  say  that 
this  district  is  still  called  Mag- 
adene.  Others  prefer  reading 
Magdala,  and  place  it  in  the 
vicinity  of  Gadar a  and  Tiberias, 
east  from  the  lake  of  Gcnesa- 
reth,  ai  d  suppose  Dalmanutha 
to  be  ne  r  the  city  of  Magdala; 
but  considering  the  circum- 
stances of  'he  fair,  which  was 
held    near  Phiaia,  or  the  head 


MAK 


MAL 


of  the  Jordan,  we  prefer  the 
opinion,  which  places  Dalma- 
nutha,  or  Magdala  in  that  situ- 
ation. Dr.  Wells  says  that 
the  place  to  which  our  Savior 
came  lay  between,  or  in  the 
neighborhood  of,  Magdala  and 
Dalmanutha,  and  that  these 
were  seated  on  the  eastern  side 
of  the  sea.  Hammond  and 
some  others  think  that  St. 
Mark  intended  to  speak  of 
Megiddo.  Still  I  think  the 
place  was  near  the  source  of 
the  Jordan.     Lat.  28,  25. 

MAGED,  or  Mageth,  a 
city  beyond  Jordan,  which  was 
taken  by  Judas  Maccabeus,  1 
Mace,  v,  3Q.  It  is  called  Ma- 
ked  in  the  Greek,  and  is  prob- 
ably the  same  as  Maachah. 

MAGOG.     See  Go?. 

M  AH  AN  AIM,orM  a  naim, 
a  city  of  the  Levites,  which 
belonged  to  the  family  of  Me- 
rari,  in  the  tribe  of  Gad,  upon 
the  brook  Jabbok,  Josh,  xxi, 
38;  xiii,  26.  It  was  on  the 
border  of  Gad,  and  the  half 
tribe  of  Manasseh,  east  of  the 
Jordan.   Wells.    Lat.  32,  21. 

MAHANE-DAN,  or  the 
camp  of  Dan,  a  place  near  Kir- 
jathjearim,  where  the  six  hun- 
dred Danites  encamped  on  their 
way  to  Laish,  Judg.  xviii,  12. 

MAKAZ,  a  city,  thought 
to  belong  to  the  tribe  of  Dan, 
1  Kings  iv,  9.  Supposed  to 
be  the  same  as  Maktesh,  or 


En-Hakkore,  Judges  xv,   IS. 

MAKELOTH,"  one  of  the 
encampments  of  the  Israelites, 
during  their  journey  in  the 
desart,  Num.  xxxii,  25. 

MAKKEDAH,  a  city  be- 
longing  to  the  tribe  of  Judab, 
Josh,  xv,  41.  Eusebius  says, 
that  this  city  is  eight  miles 
from  Eleutheropolis,  towards 
the  east.  It  was  two  miles 
east  from  Libnah,  and  12  or 
14  west  from  Jerusalem.  Near 
the  town  we  may  suppose  was 
the  cave,  where  the  five  kings, 
who  had  fled  before  Joshua,  hid 
themselves,  whom  he,  after  the 
battle,  put  to  death.  I  hare 
just  mentioned  Eleutheropolis, 
and  it  is  often  mentioned  thus 
incidentally,  in  this  volume, 
though  it  is  not  found  in  scrip- 
ture, being  of  more  modern 
origin.  It  is  mentioned,  be- 
cause Eusebius  and  Jerome 
reckon  the  distances  of  many 
places  in  Palestine  from  this 
city.  It  stood  in  the  tribe  of 
Judah. 

MAKTESH,  a  street  in  Je- 
rusalem, probably  distinguish- 
ed for  its  commerce;  its  mer- 
chants had  reason  to  mourn, 
when  the  city  was  invaded  by 
the  Chaldeans,  Zeph.  i,  11. 

MALATHA,  a  castle  in 
Idumea,  to  which  the  younger 
Agrippa  retired,  after  he  had  at 
Rome  squandered  his  estate. 
We  think  Malatha  may  be  the 


MAM 


MAO 


ikhcloth  of  Num.  xxxiii,  25, 
26.  Eusebi us  speaks  of  Mala- 
tha,  and  by  comparing  the 
passages  in  which  it  is  men- 
tioned, it  appears  that  this  city 
was  in  the  south  of  Jitdah,  a- 
bout  twenty  miles  from  He- 
bron, 

<  MALLOS,  a  city  of  Cilicia, 
situated  upon  the  river  Py ra- 
mus, the  inhabitants  revolted 
from  Antiochus  Epiphanes, 
because  he  had  given  this  with 
the  city  of  Tarsus,  to  one  of 
his  mistresses  named  Antio- 
chis,  2  Mace,  iv,  30. 

MAMRE,  plain  of  a  fertile 
plain,  near  Hebron  in  Palestine. 
In  this  place  Abraham  dwelt, 
"building  there  an  altar  unto 
the  Lord',"  Gen.  xviii,  18.  The 
name  of  this  plain  was  doubt- 
less derived  from  that  Mamre, 
who  went  with  Abraham  in 
pursuit  of  Chedorlaomer,  and 
to  rescue  Lot,  who  was  prob- 
ably the  owner  of  this  plain, 
and  from  whom  probably  He- 
bron was  sometimes  called 
Mamre.  This  plain  was  doubt- 
less often  called  the  vale  of  He- 
bron. We  are  told  that  it  lay 
two  miles  south  from  the  city. 
On  this  plain  was  the  celebrated 
oak  or  pine  tree  under  which 
Abraham  entertained  three  an- 
gels. Constantine  forbid  the 
superstitious  worship  perform- 
ed here,  and  built  a  church  on 
the  place.     A  respectable  his- 


torian, Sozomcn,  says  that  this 
tree  was  standing  in  the  fourth 
century,  highly  honored  by  pil- 
grimages and  annual  feasts. 
Near  it,  he  says,  was  Abra- 
ham's well)  much  resorted  to 
by  heathen  and  Christians. 

MANASSEH  was  separat- 
ed in  the  land  of  Canaan.  One 
half  the  tribe  was  settled  in 
Galilee,  north  of  Gad,  in  a  wide 
region  extending  70  miles  from 
north  to  south,  and  from  the 
sea  to  the  Jordan.  The  other' 
half  tribe  were  placed  in  the 
north-east  corner  of  Canaan, 
having  the  tribe  of  Gad  south, 
the  sea  of  Galilee  and  the  Jor- 
dan west,  the  mountains  of 
Hermon,  Bashan,  and  Gilead 
westerly.  Gideon, Jephthah, and 
Elijah  were  of  this  tribe.  When 
David  was  crowned  king, 
18,000  men  from  the  western 
section  of  Manasseh  attended- 
This  tribe  enlisted  under  the 
banner  of  Jeroboam.  After  the 
captivity,  part  of  this  tribe  re- 
turned and  dwelt  at  Jerusalem, 
1  Chron.  ix,  3. 

MANDIA,  a  place  near 
Bethlehem,  where  Johanan,  son 
of  Kareah,  overtook  Ishmael 
the  murderer  of  Gedaliah,  Jer- 
emiah xli. 

MAON,  a  city  of  the  tribe 
of  Judah,  in  the  most  souther- 
ly parts  belonging  to  the  tribe. 
Josh,  xv,  55*  See  also  1  Sam, 
xxiii,  24.     This  city  is  called 


MA& 


Mar 


Minois  in  the  subscriptions  of 
the  Council  of  Chalcedon. 

Maon,  a  name  of  a  wil- 
derness near  Jeshimon,  1  Sam. 
xxv,  2. 

Maon,  a  district  in  Ara- 
bia, Judges  x,  12. 

MARAH,  or  Mara,  a 
word,  which  signifies  bitterness. 
"When  the  Israelites  came  out 
ofEpjjt,  Ex.  xv,  23,  being 
arrived  in  the  desert  of  Etham, 
where  they  found  the  water  so 
bitter,  that  neither  themselves, 
nor  their  cattle  could  drink  it. 
Therefore  they  gave  the  name 
of  Marah,  or  bitterness,  to  this 
encampment.  They  then  be- 
gan to  murmur  against  Moses, 
saying,  what  shall  we  drink? 
And  Moses,  praying  to  the 
Lord,  he  showed  him  a  kind  of 
Wood,  which  being  thrown  in- 
to the  water,  presently  made 
it  palatable.  This  wood  was 
called  Alnah.  The  son  of  Si- 
rach  seems  to  think  the  quality 
of  the  wood  produced  the  ef- 
fect. "The  Lord  haih  created 
medicines  out  of  the  earth,  and 
he  that  is  wise  will  not  abhor 
Mm:  Was  nut  the  water  made 
sweet  with  wood?  That  the 
■virtue  thereof  might  be 
known."  According  to  the 
Orientals  this  wood  came  from 
Noah  to  Moses,  by  succes- 
sion, Marah  was  on  the  east 
side  of  the  western  arm  of  the 
Red  Sea,  Diodorus,  Mr*  Shaw, 


and  others,  mention  springs 
oi  water  now  in  this  vicinity, 
which  are  bitter.  Mr.  Nie- 
buhr  says,  the  pits  of  Moses  are 
eight  miles  to  the  southward 
of  Suez,  bearing  to  the  east. 
Here  are  now  four  pits  of  wa- 
ter, which  are  bitter.  Egmont 
and  Heyman  say,  that  between 
Suez  and  mount  Sinai,  water 
issues  from  the  ground,  form- 
ing rivulets,  which  are  so  sa- 
line and  sulphureous,  as  to  be 
exiremely  disagreeable.  This 
place  Wortley  Montague  sup- 
poses to  be  the  Marah  of  scrip- 
ture; but  it  is  forty  miles  south 
from  the  place,  which  Mr.  Nie- 
buhr  supposes  to  be  Marah. 
Mr.  Montague  says,  These 
waters  at  the  spring  are  some- 
what bitter  and  brackish,  and 
as  they  run  over  the  sand, which 
is  covered  with  bituminous 
salts,  formed  by  the  heat  of  the 
sun,  they  increase  in  saltness 
and  bitterness.     Lat.  29,  51. 

MAPABAH,  a  city  of  the 
tribe  of  Zcbulon.  Josh,  xix, 
11.  This  tov\  n  was  the  bound- 
ary of  the  tribe. 

MARESHA,  a  city  of  the 
tribe  of  Judah,  Josh,  xv,  44. 
The  prophet  Micah,  (i,I5)  was 
a  native  of  thib  city  ,  which  was 
situated  about  two  roilea  from 
Eleutheropolis.  It  was  near 
Mare&ha  in  the  valley  of  Ze- 
phatah,  where  tiie  famous  bat- 
tle  was  fought*   between  Asa 


MED 


MED 


Ling  of  Jncluh,  and  Zerah  king 
of  Chus,  in  which  Asa  obtain- 
ed such  a  remarkable  victory, 
2  Chron.  xiv,  10,  defeating  an 
army,  consisting  of  a  million, 
whom  he  pursued  to  Gerar. 

In  1  Mace,  v,  66,  is  read 
Samaria  instead  of  Marcsha. 
In  the  latter  times  of  the  Jewish 
commonwealth,  this  place  be- 
longed to  Idumea,  as  did  sev- 
eral other  southern  cities  of 
Judea.  Maresha  was  settled 
by  Jews  and  their  allies  in  the 
time  of  John  Hyrcanus.  King 
Alexander  Jannaeus  took  it 
from  the  Arabians.  Pompey 
restored  it  to  the  first  inhabit- 
ants. Gabinus  rebuilt  it,  but 
finally  the  Parthians  destroyed 
it  in  the  war'  of xXntigonus,  a- 
gainst  Herod.  Josephus  calls 
it  a  powerful  citv. 

MASREKAH,  a  city  of  Idu- 
mea, Gen.  xxxvi,  36. 

MEARAH,  of  the  Sidoni- 
am,  Josh,  xiii,  4,  a  city  pro- 
bably very  near  Sidon.  Others 
think  it  to  be  a  cavern.  Mea- 
rah  in  Hebrew  may  signify  a 
tavern. 

MECHERATH,  the  place 
of  the  nativity  of  Hepher,  one 
of  the  vahant  men  in  David's 
army,  1  Chr.  xi,  36. 

MEDALAH,  a  city  of  the 
tribe  of  Judah,  Josh,  xv,  51. 

MEDEBA,  or  Medaba, 
a  city  of  Canaan  beyond  Jor- 
dan,   in  the   southern  part  of 


Reuben,  Josh,  xiii,  16.  Eu 
bins  says,  that  Medeba  was  not 
far  from  Heshbon  or  Chesbon, 
Isaiah  attributes  it  to  Moab, 
because  the  Moabites  took  it 
from  the  Israelites.  Josephus 
and  some  others  ascribe  it  to 
the  Arabians,  because  the  Ara- 
bians had  made  themselves 
masters  of  it,  towards  the  con- 
clusion of  the  Jewish  monarchy. 
The  inhabitants  of  Medeba 
having  killed  John  Caddis, 
brother  to  Judas  Maccabeus, 
Simon  and  Jonathan  his  breth- 
ren, revenged  his  death  upon 
the  children  of  Jambri,  as  they 
were  conducting  a  bride,  to  the 
house  of  a  man  of  quality,  her. 
husband.  This  place  continu- 
ed some  ages  after  Jesus  Christ, 
and  by  Ptolemy  is  called  Me*- 
daia. 

MEDIA,  the  country  of  the 
Medes,  called  in  Hebrew  Ma- 
dai,  and  thought  to  be  peopled 
by  the  descendants  of  Madai* 
son  of  Japheth,  though  some 
writers  are  of  a  different  opin- 
ion. 

The  expedition  of  the  Argo- 
nauts, in  which  happened  tht 
rape  of  Media,  fell  out  in  the 
year  2760,  about  forty  years 
after  the  taking  of  Troy:  so 
that  there  is  nothing  impossible 
in  the  conjecture  of  the  Greeks, 
of  Media's  having  taken  its 
name  from  Medus,  the  son  of 
Jason  and  Media;  nor  any  thing 


Meg 


MEL 


Contrary  to  the  scripture,  which 
speaks  of  the  Merles  from  the 
time  of  Salmaneser,  and  often 
since,  in  the  writings  of  Isaiah, 
Jeremiah,  Daniel,  Esther,  and 
in  the  apocryphal  writings  of 
Judith  and  Tobit. 

The  boundaries  of  Media 
have  not  always  been  the  same, 
as  it  has  taken  sometimes  a 
larger  and  sometimes  a  smaller 
extent  of  country.  Ptolemy 
makes  the  limits  to  the  north, 
to  be  a  part  of  the  Caspian  sea, 
the  mountains  of  the  same  name, 
•and  the  Cadurians;  to  the  west, 
the  greater  Armenia;  to  the 
east  the  country  of  the  Partis- 
ans and  Hyrcanians;  and  to  the 
south  of  Persia,  Susiana,  and 
part  of  Assyria.  The  capital 
city  of  Media  was  Ecbatana. 
See  Ecbatana. 

Rages  was  also  in  Media, 
Tobit  i,  14,  iii,  7',g&b.'afid  Sal- 
maneser made  the  ten  tribes  of 
IsraeL  which  he  carried  beyond 
the  Euphrates,  to  inhabit  the 
cities  of  Media,  2  Kings,  xvii, 
6;  xviii,  11. 

MEGIDDO,  a  city  of  the 
tribe  of  Manasseh,  famous  for 
the  battle  fought  there,  between 
Pharoahnecho,  and  king  Josiah, 
when  this  last  prince  was  de- 
feated and  mortally  wounded, 
Josiah  xvii,  11;  Judges  i,  27; 
and  2  Kings  xxiii,  29.  In 
Judges  v,  19,  mention  is  made 
of    the    waters    of  Megiddo, 


which  doubtless  are  the  brook 
Kishon.  It  was  a  place  of  re- 
markable mourning  to  the  peo- 
ple of  Canaan,  when  Jabin's 
army  was  destroyed  here,  and 
to  the  Jews,  when  their  good 
king  Josiah  was  slain  here.  It 
was  about  44  miles  north  from 
Jerusalem,  near  the  great  plain 
of  Esdrelon,  and  was  the  scene 
of  many  battles,  not  only  of 
these  now  mentioned  of  Pha- 
roah  and  Josiah,  of  Barak  and 
Jabin;  but  of  Gideon  and  the 
Midianites,  of  Saul  and  the 
Philistines,  of  Judas  Maccabe- 
us with  Tryphon,  and  in  later 
ages  here  was  the  scene  of 
bloody  combats  of  the  Tartars 
and  Saracens.  An  ancient 
Geography  calls  it,  the  capa- 
cious field  of  battles.  See  Ar- 
mageddon. 

MEJARKON,the  waters  of 
Jarkon,  a  city  belonging  to  the 
tribe  of  Dan.     Josh,  xix,  46. 

MEKONAH,  a  city  of  Pal- 
estine in  the  tribe  of  Judah, 
Nehem.  xi,  28,  probably  the 
same  as  Mecanum,  which  St. 
Jerome  places  between  Eleu- 
theropolis  and  Jerusalem,  eight 
miles  from  the  first. 

ME  LIT  A,  now  called 
Malta,  a  famous  island  in  the 
Mediterranean  sea,  situated 
between  the  15th  and  18th  de- 
grees of  east  longitude,  and  be- 
tween 35  and  36  degrees  of 
north  latitude.     It  is  about  19 


ME? 


MER 


or  20  leagues  in  length,  9  or 
10  in  breadth.  Its  length  is 
from  east  to  west,  its  breadth 
froei  north  to  south.  Its  soil 
is  stony  and  barren,  yet  it  bears 
excellent  fruit,  melons,  and 
cotton.  Vast  quantities  of 
earfch  are  brought  here,  from 
Sicily,  to  enrich  their  rocky 
soil.  The  fortifications  of 
Malta  are  stupendous.  All  the 
boasted  catacombs  of  Rome  and 
Naples,  are  trifles,  to  the  im- 
mense excavations,  the  vast 
ditches  here  cut  out  of  the  sol- 
id rock.  These  extend  many 
miles,    Lat.  34. 

MEMPHIS,  orNoPH,  the 
ancient  capital  of  Egypt.  See 
JVop/i.  About  the  time  of  our 
Savior  this  city  was  next  to 
Alexandria,  and  it  continued 
to  be  a  place  of  importance  till 
about  A.  D.  640,  when  it  was 
utterly  destroyed  by  the  Sara- 
cens. Grand  Cairo  has  since 
risen  in  the  vicinity.  But 
Memphis,  according  to  the 
word  of  prophecy,  is  swept 
from  the  face  of  the  earth,  not 
a  wreck  or  remnant  remains. 
Probably  the  waters  of  the 
Nile  cover  its  foundations. 
Lat.  29,  45. 

MELOTHI,  a  city  of  Cili- 
cia,  perhaps  the  same  as  Mal- 
los,  which  see. 

MEPHAATH,  a  city  of 
Reuben,  yielded  to  the  Levites 
of  the  family  of  Merari,   Josh. 


xiii,  18;  and  xxi,  37.  £us(5« 
bius  says  that  in  his  time  the 
Romans  kept  a  garrison  here, 
for  the  security  of  the  country. 

MERAM,  a  place  of  trade 
in  Arabia;  the  inhabitants  val- 
ued themselves  for  their  supe- 
rior understanding,  and  are 
classed  with  the  Hagarenes, 
and  the  inhabitants  of  Theman; 
Baruch  iii,  23. 

MERATHAIM,  a  prov- 
ince of  Chaldea,  lying  on  each 
side  of  the  Tigris;  it  seems  that 
Pekod,  Koa,  and  Shoa  were 
places  in  the  vicinity.  Pekod 
was  near  Nineveh,  Jer.  i,  21; 
and  Ezekiel  xxiii,  23. 

MEROM.  The  waters  of 
Merom,  at  which  place  Jabin 
and  the  other  confederate  kings 
met  to  fight  Joshua,  are  gener- 
ally supposed  by  the  learned, 
to  be  the  lake  Semechon, 
which  lies  between  the  head  of 
the  river  Jordan  and  the  lake 
Genesareth;  since  it  is  agreed 
on  all  hands  that  the  city  Ha- 
zor,  where  Jabin  reigned,  was 
situated  on  this  lake. 

But  others  think  that  the 
waters  of  Merom,  or  Merome, 
were  somewhere  about  the 
brook  Kishon,  since  there  is  a 
place  of  that  name  mentioned, 
in  the  account  of  the  battle 
against  Sisera,  Judges  v,  21. 
And  it  is  more  rational  to 
think,  that  the  confederate 
kings  advanced  as   far  as  the 


MES 


MES 


brook  Kishon,  and  to  a  pass 
which  led  into  the  country,  to 
hinder  Joshua  from  penetrating 
it,  or  even  to  attack  him  in  the 
country  where  he  himself  lay 
encamped,  than  to  imagine 
that  they  waited  for  him  in  the 
midst  of  their  own  country;. 
leaving  all  Galilee  at  his  mer- 
cy, and  the  whole  tract  from  the 
brook  Kishon  to  the  lake  Seme- 
chon.      Wells. 

MEROR,  a  place  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  brook 
Kishon,  supposed  to  be  a  city 
of  Galilee,  whose  inhabitants 
refusing  to  come  to  the  assis- 
tance of  their  brethren,  when 
they  fought  with  Sisera,  were 
put  under  an  anathema.  Judges 
v   23. 

'  MESALOTH,  a  town  of 
Judea,  1  Maccabees  ix,  2. 

MESHA.ctMessa.  Mos- 
es says,  Gen.  x,  30,  that  the 
children  of  Joktan  inhabited  the 
country  from  Mesha,  as  thou 
goest  into  Sephar,  a  mountain 
of  the  east.  The  sons  of  Jok- 
tan  possessed  the  whole  coun- 
try, between  mount  Masino, 
and  the  mountains  of  Sephar, 
or  Sepharaim.  Calmefs  Diet. 
Sanson  places  this  town  in 
Arabia   Felix.     Lat  15,  30. 

MESOBAH,  the  name  of 
a  place,  mentioned  1  Chron. 
xi,  47     » 

MESOPOTAMIA,  a  Fa- 
mous province,    situated   be- 


tween the  rivers  Tigris  and 
Euphrates.  The  Hebrews 
call  it  Padan-aratrijGen.  xxviii, 
2,  &c.  and  Aram-  JVaharaim, 
(title  of  Pb.  60,)  or  Aram  of 
the  two  rivers,  because  it  was 
first  peopled  by  Aram,  father 
of  the  Syrians,  and  is  situated 
between  the  two  rivers,  already 
mentioned.  This  country 
is  much  celebrated  in  scripture. 
Babylon  was  in  Mesopotamia, 
till  by  vast  labor  and  industry, 
the  two  rivers  of  the  Tigris 
and  Euphrates  were  united  in- 
to one  channel.  The  plains  of 
Shinar  were  in  the  same  coun- 
try. Often  they  gave  it  the 
name  of  Mesopotamia,  Deut. 
xxiii,  4,  &c.  and  sometimes 
that  of  Syria,  Hosea  xii,  12. 
Balaam  son  of  Beor  was  of 
Mesopotamia,  Deut.  xxiii,  4. 
Chushanrishathaim,  king  of 
Mesopotamia,  kept  the  He- 
brews in  subjection  some  time 
after  the  death  of  Joshua,  Judg. 
iii,  8. 

Beside  this  country,  com-" 
monly  called  Mesopotamia, 
in  Greek,  Padanaram  and 
Aram-Naharaim  in  Hebrew,  or 
Syria  of  the  two  rivers;  some 
mention  another,  which  was  in 
Syria,  between  the  rivers  Mar- 
syas,  and  Orontes.  This  opin- 
ion is  founded  upon  what  fol- 
lows. Firs i,  the  term  Meso- 
potamia signifies  simply  a  coun- 
try between  two  rivers;  so  tint 


MES 


MIC 


this  name  may  be  given  to 
any  country,  that  has  such 
a  situation.  Secondly,  the 
title  of  Psalm  lx,  intimates,  that 
David  burnt  Mesopotamia  of 
Syria,  and  Syria  of  Zobah. 
But  it  is  known  that  David 
did  not  make  war  with  the 
king  of  Zobah,  but  to  enlarge 
his  conquests,  as  far  as  the 
Euphrates,  and  that  Syria  of 
Zobah  was  beyond  this  river. 
Thirdly,  the  book  of  Judith  ii, 
24,  says  that  Holofornes  went 
over  the  Euphrates,  and  went 
through  Mesopotamia;  and 
destroyed  all  the  hi°;h  cities. 
Certain  it  is  that  this  general 
came  out  of  Assyria.  Mesopo- 
tamia properly  so  called,  was 
in  subjection  to  Nebuchadnez- 
zar his  master.  He  therefore 
passed  over  the  Euphrates,  to 
come  into  the  Mesopotamia  of 
Syria,  of  which  we  are  speaking, 
very  different  from  that  known 
to  the  Greeks  and  Latins,  which 
was  between  the  Tigris  and 
Euphrates. 

Mesopotamia  was  subdued 
by  the  Assyrians  and  Chalde- 
ans. After  this  it  was  succes- 
sively subjugated  by  the  Per- 
sians, then  by  the  Greeks,  by 
the  Romans,  the  Parthians,  the 
Saracens,  Seljukian  Turks, 
Tartars,  Turkmans,  and  finally 
the  Ottoman  Turks.  Perhaps 
no  portion  of  the  earth  has  been 
more  frequently  drowned  in 
34 


human  blood,  than  this  fair 
country.  Anciently  it  con- 
tained twenty  cities  on  the  east 
bank  of  the  Euphrates,  four- 
teen on  the  west  bank  of  the 
Tigris,  and  thirty-five  in  the 
intervening  country.  At  pres- 
ent, though  Chaldea  be  added, 
this  country  contains  no  distin- 
guished places  except  Karamet, 
Rakka,  Monsul,  Orfa,  Nisibis, 
Bir,  Gezir,  Amad,  and  Kornah, 
with  a  very  few  others.  Af- 
ter Cyrus  gave  the  Jews  liberty 
to  return  to  Jerusalem  great 
numbers  chose  to  remain  here. 
Many  of  them  came, to  Jerusa- 
lem, and  heard  Peter's  sermon 
at  Pentecost;  they  carried  the 
knowledge  of  the  gospel  to 
their  adopted  country,  nor  has 
it  yet  been  wholly  extirpated 
there.     See  East. 

METHEY-AMMAH,  was 
either  Gath,  or  some  other 
city  near  it,  by  which  as  a 
bridle  of  bondage,  the  Philis- 
tines kept  the  Jews  in  that 
neighborhood  in  a  state  of  sla- 
very. David  took  this  town 
from  them,  after  they  had 
holden  it  long,  2  Sam.  viii. 

MICHMASH.  Eusebius 
says  that  Mich  mash  in  his  time, 
was  a  considerable  place,  about 
three  leagues  from  Jerusalem, 
towards  Rama.  Michmash 
was  to  the  east  of  Bethaven, 
1  Sam.  xhi,  5.  Near  to  this 
place   was    a   lofty    ledge    of 


MID 


MID 


rocks,  two  of  them,  Seneh  and 
Bozez  faced  Michmash  and 
Gibeah,  the  one  north,  the 
other  south.  Jonathan  and  his 
armor  bearer  ascended  one  of 
these,  and  routed  the  garrison. 
MIDDIN,  a  city  in'the  tribe 
of  Judah,  Joshua  xv,  61. 

MIDIAN,  a  country  of 
Arabia  on  the  east  shore  of  the 
Red  Sea,  near  its  northern 
point.  Into  this  country  Mos- 
es fled  from  Egypt  and  marri- 
ed Zipporah,  the  daughter  of 
Jethro.  This  people  were  fill- 
ed with  terror,  when  they 
heard  that  Israel  had  passed 
through  the  sea  on  dry  land. 
When  the  law  was  given  on 
Sinai,  the  shaking  of  the  moun- 
tain affected  their  country. 
"The  curtains  of  the  land  of 
Midian  did  tremble."  They 
were  alarmed  at  the  tremen- 
dous scene.  These  Midianites 
were  probably  descended  from 
Cush,  because  the  wife  of 
Moses  though  a^Midianite,  is 
also  called  a  Cushite. 

At  Midian  may  be  seen  the 
famous  well,  where  Moses 
watered  the  flock  of  Schoaib, 
for  this  is  the  name,  which  the 
Mahometans  give  to  Jethro. 
It  seems,  that  the  Orientals 
knew  no  other  Midianites,  but 
these  on  the  Red  Sea;  but 
scripture  evidently  mentions 
another  tribe  or  colony.  It  is 
apposed  that  these  Arabians 


descended  from  Midian  a  son 
of  Abraham  by  Keturah;  their 
capital  city  was  near  mount 
Horeb.     Kimpton. 

Midian,  a  country  of  Ca- 
naan lying  on  the  east  of  the 
Salt  Sea  and  south  from  Moab. 
The  capital  city  was  called 
Midian;  is  remains  were  to  be 
seen  in  the  time  of  Jerome  and 
Eusebius,  lying  on  the  river 
Arnon,  south  from  the  city  of 
Ar.  They  were  very  early  a 
commercial  people,  and  traded 
to  Egypt  in  spices,  balm,  &c. 
some  of  them  were  concerned 
in  buying  Joseph,  and  selling 
him  in  Egypt.  Some  of  the 
Elders  from  Midian  attended 
those  of  Moab  to  bring  Balaam, 
who  was  of  this  country  to  curse 
Israel.  At  the  advice  of  this 
wicked  man,  a  multitude  of 
women  from  Midian,  poured 
themselves  into  the  camp  of 
Israel  on  their  north  border,  and 
enticed  the  men  to  uncleanness 
and  idolatry.  This  sin  brought 
a  judgment  on  Israel,  and  twen- 
ty-four thousand  of  them  were 
immediately  destroyed.  To 
punish  Midian  also,  God  di- 
rected Moses  to  send  twelve 
thousand  troops  into  the  coun- 
try of  Midian,  and  destroy 
all  they  could  find,  virgins  ex- 
cepted. The  Hebrews  march- 
ed, and  five  kings  of  Midian 
were  slain.  Balaam,  who  was 
the  occasion  of  all  this  mischief. 


MID 


MIC 


was  among  the  victims  de- 
stroyed. Their  cities  were 
burned,  and  nearly  a  million  of 
their  sheep,  asses,  and  cattle 
were  carried  off;  with  thirty -two 
thousand  virgins-  In  subse- 
quent|ages  the  Midianites  recov- 
ered their  strength,  and  for  sev- 
eral years  oppressed  the  He- 
brews; but  they  were  finally 
routed  in  a  wonderful  manner 
by  Gideon,  and  their  kings, 
Oreb,  Zub,Zebah,  andZalmin- 
nah,  with  one  hundred  thirty- 
five  thousand  of  the^  people, 
slain  by  the  sword.  They  are 
now  incorporated  with  the  Ara- 
bians. Voltaire  repeatedly 
suggests  the  improbability, 
that  thirty-two  thousand  young 
women  should  be  found  in  so 
small  a  country.  It  was  twenty- 
four  miles  in  length,  and  near- 
ly the  same  in  breadth,  which 
would  amount  to  about248,000 
acres.  The  young  women 
would  probably  amount  to 
about  one  fourth  of  the  popu- 
lation, making  the  whole 
128,000  souls.  When  Rome 
did  not  extend  more  than  eight 
leagues  in  length  and  breadth, 
it  supported  more  than  200,000 
persons.  fLivy.J  For  400 
years  after  the  building  of 
Rome  each  planter  was  allow- 
ed but  two  acres  to  support 
himself  and  family.  Four  acres 
constituted  the  whole  estate  of 
the  celebrated  Quintius  Cincin- 


natus.  But  the  territory  (4* 
Midian,  in  a  country  much 
more  fertile,  than  thai  of  Rome, 
and  in  a  more  delicious  climate, 
would  furnish  every  family  of 
six  persons  with  ir^c  than 
eleven  acres.  Thus  the  Ljafv- 
ils  of  Voltaire  are  as  weak  as 
they  are  wicked.  See  letters 
of  certain  Jews  to  M.  Voltaire. 

MIGDAL-FL,  a  city  of  Ju- 
dea,  of  the  tribe  of  Naphtali, 
Josh,  xix,  38.  This  word  sig- 
nifies the  tower  of  God.  It 
was  probably  a  strong  hold  on 
a  rock,  or  on  the  top  of  a  peak, 
ridge,  or  hill. 

MIGDAL-GAD,   a  citv  of 
Palestine,  of  the  tribe  of  Judah, 
Josh,  xv,  37.     This  name  sig 
nifies  the  tower  of  Gad. 

MIGDOL.  Moses  says,  that 
when  the  Iraelites  came  out  of 
Egypt,  Exod.  xiv,  2,  the  Lord 
commanded  them  to  encamp 
over  against  Pihahir^th;  be- 
tween Migdol  and  the  sea,  over 
against  Baal  Zephon.  It  i  s  not 
known  whether  this  Migdol  was 
a  city  or  only  a  tower.  Tint 
itinerary  of  Antoninus  has  Mag- 
dolum,  at  about  twelve  miles 
from  Pelusium.  According  to 
the  description  of  Moses  this 
place  must  have  been  near  the 
north-west  point  of  the  Red 
Sea,  and  not  far  from  Sin.  It 
lay,  therefore,  on  the  extreme 
part  of  Egypt.  The  ravage  o\ 
Egypt,  therefore*   froni    Mir;- 


MIL 


MIL 


dpi  to  Syene,  imported  a  des- 
truction of  the  whole  country, 
Ezek.  xxix,  10.  Some  have 
supposed  it  a  hill,  now  called 
Kouabi.     Lat.  28,  25. 

MIGRON,  a  village  near 
Gibeah.  Saul  with  six  hun- 
dred men  retreated  into  the  cave 
of  Remnon,  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Migron,  1  Sam.  xiv,  2. 

MILETUS,  a  town  on  the 
continent  in  Asia  Minor,  and 
in  the  province  of  Caria,  now 
called  by  the  Turks  Melas,  and 
not  far  distant  from  it,  is  the 
true  Meander,  which  though  it 
encircles  all  the  plain,  through 
which  it  runs  with  many  wan- 
ton mazes,  and  innumerable 
windings,  yet  in  some  places 
goes  with  such  a  current,  as 
stirs  up  the  earth  and  gravel 
from  the  bottom,  which  makes 
its  waters  not  so  clear  and  crys- 
talline, as  might  be  expected. 
Whitby  and  JFells. 

St.  Paul  going  from  Corinth 
to  Jerusalem  passed  by  Miletus, 
and  as  he  went  by  sea,  and  could 
not  take  Ephesus  in  his  way, 
he  caused  the  bishops  and  priests 
of  the  church  of  Ephesus  to 
come  to  Miletus,  Acts  xx,  15, 
&.c.  which  was  about  twelve 
leagues  from  them.  The  town 
stands  near  the  shore;  and  the 
people  very  early  applied  them- 
selves to  navigation,  and  planted 
no  less  than  eighty  colonies  a- 
broad,  or  as  Seneca  savs,  three 


hundred  and  eighty.  It  was 
the  only  town  that  made  much 
resistance  to  Alexander.  This 
people  being  powerful  and  rich, 
abandoned  themselves  to  luxu- 
ry, and  lost  their  power,  and 
opulence4.  This  place  was  once 
famous  for  an  oracle  of  Apollo 
Did)  mus.  The  temple  having 
been  destroyed  by  Xerxes,  the 
Milesians  erected  another  edi- 
fice, which  on  account  of  its 
extent,  had  no  roof,  and  a  sa- 
cred grove  was  planted  within 
its  walls.  Dr.  Chandler  in- 
forms us,  that  Miletus  is  at 
present  a  mean  place;  the  prin- 
cipal monument  of  its  ancient 
magnificence  is  a  theatre  in  ru- 
ins, four  hundred  and  fifty-seven 
feet  long,  the  external  face  be- 
ing marble.  The  whole  scite  of 
the  town  is  covered  with  rub- 
bish, and  overrun  with  thickets. 
The  vestiges  of  the  heathen  city 
are  pieces  of  the  wall,  broken 
arches,  a  square  marble  urn, 
scattered  pedestals,  and  numer- 
ous wells.  One  of  the  pedes- 
tals supported  a  statue  of  the 
emperor  Adrian,  and  another 
the  emperor  Severus,  and  has 
a  long  inscription  with  this  cu- 
rious preamble,  "The  Senate 
and  people  of  the  city  of  the  Mi- 
lesians, the  first  settled  in  Ionia, 
and  the  mother  of  many  and 
great  cities,  both  in  Pontus,  and 
Egypt,  and  various  other  parts 
of  the  world." 


MIL 


MIS 


From  the  number  of  forsaken 
mosques  among  the  ruins,  it 
is  evident  that  once  Mahome- 
tan ism  flourished  at  Miletus. 
This  whole  region  has  under- 
gone frequent  ravages  by  the 
Turks.  One  of  their  sultans 
in  1175,  sent  twenty  thousand 
men  witi1  orders  to  lay  waste 
the  i\  ■  .  ...  provinces,  and  bring 
him  sea-  svater,  and,  and  an  oar. 
Ah  th<  cities  on  the  Meander 
and  on  tiie  coast  were  ruined. 
Again,  lear  the  close  of  the 
thirteenth  century,  Miletus  was 
again  dot.  oyed  by  the  victori- 
ous Qtfnnan.  The  power  of 
Miletus  was  once  extensive  and 
illustrious.  The  Euxine,  the 
Propontis,  Egypt,  and  other 
countries,  were  visited  by  her 
navfes,  arid  settled  by  her  col- 
onies. At  present  here  are  only 
a  few  shepherd's  cottages.  Lat. 
37,  35.  Long.  27,  53'. 

Sir  Geo.  IVheeler. 

St.  Paul  is  thought  by  some 
to  refer  to  this  place,  when  he 
says,  "Trophinus  have  I  left 
at  Miletus  sick,"  because  when 
he  visited  Miletus  on  the  con- 
tinent, Trophinus  went  with 
him  to  Jerusalem,  and  St.  Paul 
did  not  return  to  that  Miletus', 
2  Tim.  iv,  20;  Acts  xx,  17. 
This  was  the  mother  town  of 
Miletus  in  Caria,  to  which  place 
a  colony  was  led  by  Sarpedon, 
the  brother  of  Minos. 

MILLO.  This  Hebrew  word 
signifies  filled  up;    and    thus 


they  called  a  very  deep  valley, 
which  was  between  the  old  city 
of  Jebus,  or"  Jerusab  n  and  the 
city  of  David,  built  up  in  mount 
Zion,  1  Kings  ix.  15,  and  1 
Chr  xi,  8.  David  and  Solo- 
mon caused  this  valley  to  be 
filled  up,  and  made  there  a  place 
for  the  people  t>.  issemble.  Sol- 
omon also  took  a  part  of  it,  to 
build  a  palace  for  his  queen,  the 
daughter  of  Pharaoh. 

Millo,  a  city  of  Canaan, 
near  to  Shechem,  The  citizens 
of  these  two  places  made  Abi- 
milech  son  of  Gideon  king, 
Judges  ix,  6.  But  some  sup- 
posed that  Millo  was  an  inhab- 
itant of  Shechem;  because  they 
find  no  city  called  Millo. 

MINNI,  or  Merni.  Jere- 
miah invites  the  kings  of  Minni, 
Ararat,  and  Ashkenaz  to  carry 
on  a  war  against  Babylon.  Min- 
ni is  thought  *o  have  been  the 
same  as  Minias,  a  province  of 
Armenia.  Perhaps  Armenia 
took  its  name  from  Aram  and 
Minni,  i.  e.  Syria  of  Minni  or 
Minias,  mentioned  by  Nicholas 
of  Damascus. 

MINNITH,  a  city  beyond 
Jordan,  four  miles  from  Hesh- 
bon,  in  Arabia  Petrea,  upon 
the  road  to  Philadelphia,  as  Eu- 
sebius  relates- 

MISHEAL,  a  city  of  Cana- 
an, ol  the  tribe  of  Asher,  Josh, 
xix,  26.  Eusebius  says  it  is 
near  mount  Carmel,  upon  the 
sea  coast. 


MIT 


MIZ 


MISPH  AT,a  fountain,  which 
is  also  called  Kadesh,  Gen. 
xiv,  7.  Here  Moses  and|Aa- 
ron  were  judged.  Grotius 
thinks  the  place  was  so  called, 
because,  here  was  a  place  of 
judgment,  or  the  seat  of  a  court 
for  the  neighborhood. 

MITYLENE,  capital  of  the 
island  of  Lesbos,  through  which 
Si.  Paul  passed,  as  he  went  from 
Corinth  to  Jerusalem.  Acts 
xx,  14.  This  town  is  on  the 
east  side  of  the  island  upon  a 
peninsula,  which  has  a  good 
harbor  on  each  side.  The  place 
has  become  so  noted  as  to  give 
its  name  to  the  whole  island, 
which  is  now  called  Metelin. 
The  isle  is  seven  miles  from 
the  main  land  of  Troas,  and  is 
one  of  the  largest  in  the  archi- 
pelago, on  which  account  it  is 
thought  worthy  a  fortress,  and 
the  defence  of.  the  Ottoman 
sword.  The  place  has  been  fa- 
mous for  giving  birth  to  several 
illustrious  men,  as  Pittacus,  the 
wise  Grecian,  Theophanes,  the 
historian,  Alceus  the  poet,  and 
Diophenes,  the  rhetorician.  In 
the  5th  and  to  the  8th  century, 
we  find  Christian  churches  here. 
The  island  has  been  celebrated 
for  its  power,  and  learning. 
Apollo  was  their  chief  deity. 
The  city  is  now  the  principal 
dock -yard  of  the  Turkish  em- 
pire. At  present  their  chief 
commerce  consists  in  grain, 
fruit,  wine,  butter,  cheese,  and 


pitch.  The  people  are  poor, 
and  the  houses  mean.  In  the 
whole  island,  which  is  140  miles 
in  circuit,  are  10,000  Turks 
and  20,000  Christians. 

MIZAR,  a  small  hill,  not  far 
from  Zoar,  once  a  place  of  re- 
sort for  David,  and  where  pro- 
bably, he  experienced  some 
peculiar  manifestations  of  Di- 
vine goodness,  Psalm  xlii,   6. 

MIZPAH,  or  Mispeh,  a 
city  of  the  tribe  of  Judah, 
Josh,  xv,  38,  to  the  south  of 
Jerusalem  and  the  north  of 
Hebron,  or  Eleutheropolis,  a- 
bout  six  leagues  from  Jeru- 
salem. Calmet  takes  this  to 
be  the  same  with  Mizpeh  of 
Benjamin,  Josh,  xviii,  26;  1 
Sam.  vii,  5 — 7,  which  was  a 
place  of  prayer  and  devotion, 
where  the  Hebrews  often  as- 
sembled: see  1  Kings  xv,  22; 
2  Chron.  xvi,  6.  Here  Sam- 
uel dwelt;  here  Saul  was  a- 
no  inted  king. 

Mizpah,  a  city  in  the  tribe 
of  Gad,  and  in  the  mountains 
of  Gilead.  It  was  in  this  place 
that  Laban  and  Jacob  made  a 
covenant  together,  Gen.  xxxi, 
49.  This  city  is  ascribed  to 
Moab,  1  Sam.  xxii,  3,  because 
the  Moabites  conquered  it. 

Mizpah,  a  city  in  the  tribe  of 
Benjamin,  Josh,  xviii, [26.  The 
name  imports  a  watch  tower,  or 
a  spot  commanding  an  extensive 
prospect,  and  it  is  not  strange  that 
in  a  hilly  country,  always  expos- 


MOA 


MOD 


ed  to  the  inroads  of  surrounding 
enemies,  there  should  be  many 
places  of  this  name. 

Mizpah.  Josh,  xi,  3,  speaks 
of  the  Hivites,  who  inhabited 
the  country  of  Mizpeh  or  Miz- 
pah, at  the  foot  of  mount  Her- 
mon,  and  consequently  towards 
the  head  of  the  river  Jordan. 

Mizpah,  a  city  in  the  tribe 
of  Dan,  where  Gedaliah  ruled 
the  Jews.     Kimpton. 

MIZRAIM,  another  name 
for  Egypt,  which  see. 

MIZREHOTHMAIM,  a 
city  mentioned  in  Josh,  xi,  8, 
and  xiii,  (5,  thought  by  some  to 
be  Sarepta.  The  name  signi- 
fies burning  waters.  Writers 
are  agreed  in  supposing  this 
place  was  near  to  Zidon.  Some 
consider  the  word  an  appella- 
tive, implying  salt  pits  or  a 
place  constructed  for  evapor- 
ating water  by  means  of  fire, 
the  remainder  when  cold,  form- 
ing salt;  but  the  Hebrew  com- 
mentator describes  those  places 
as  salt  pits,  where  the  sea  water 
is  admitted  into  reservoirs,  and 
exhaled  by  the  sun,  leaving  the 
salt  behind,  Josh,  xi  and  xiii. 
Others  by  this  word,  "burnings 
of  waters,  "understand  it  to  mean 
sand  dug  at  this  place,  and 
melted  by  fire  to  make  glass. 
This  opinion  is  strengthened 
by  finding  a  plenty  of  sand 
suitable  for  this  purpose  in  this 
region.  To  this  place,  whether 
a  hot  bath,  as  some  others  be* 


Heve,  a  glass  house,  or  salt  pit, 
the  troops  of  Joshua  pursued 
the  army  of  Jabin,  Josh,  xi,  8. 

MOAB,  a  country  of  Pales- 
tine on  the  east  side  of  the  Dead 
Sea,  and  along  the  Jordan,  upon 
its  respectable  branch,  the  Ar- 
non.  The  capital  city  of  the 
Moabites  was  situated  upon  the 
river  Arnon,  and  was  called 
Ar,  Areopolis,  or  Ariel  of  Mo- 
ab,  or  Rabbath  Moab,  that  is 
the  capital  of  Moab,  or  Kir- 
haresh,that  is  a  city  with  brick 
walls.  This  country  was  at  first 
possessed  by  a  race  of  giants 
called  Emims,  Deut.  ii,  11,  12. 
The  Moabites  made  a  conquest 
of  them,  and  afterwards  the 
Amorites  took  it  in  part  from 
the  Moabites,  Judges  xi,  13. 
Moses  conquered  that  part  be- 
longing to  the  Amorites,  and 
gave  it  to  the  tribe  of  Reuben. 
The  Moabites  were  spared  by 
Moses;  for  God  had  forbidden 
him  to  molest  them,  Deut.  ii, 
9.  But  there  always  was  a 
great  antipathy  between  the 
Moabites  and  Israelites,  which 
gave  occasion  for  great  wars 
between  them. 

MODIN,  a  city  or  town  in 
the  tribe  of  Dan,  celebrated  for 
being  the  dwelling  and  bury- 
ing place  of  Mattathias  and  his 
sons,  so  well  known  by  the 
name  of  Maccabees,  1  Mace, 
ii,  1,  15,  and  ix,  19.  Eusebius 
says,  that  Mod  in  was  not  far 
from  Diospolis,  and  that  in  his 


MOR 


MOS 


time  was  still  to  be  seen  there 
the  tomb  of  the  Maccabees. 
But  Modin  is  not  only  famous 
for  the  tomb  of  the  Maccabees, 
but  also  for  the  battle  that  was 
there  successfully  fought  by  an 
handful  of  men,  under  the  con- 
duct of  Judas  Maccabeus,  a- 
gainst  Antiochus  Eupator.  The 
city  stood  on  a  mountain.  Lat. 
31,  42. 

MOLAD  AH,  a  city  of  Pal- 
estine of  the  tribe  of  Simeon, 
given  first  to  the  tribe  of  Judah, 
but  afterwards  yielded  to  that 
of  Simeon,  Josh,  xv,  26,  and 
xix,  2.  This  place  lay  in  the 
southern  parts  of  Judah,  it  was 
also  called  Mikheloth. 

MORASTHI,  a  town  of 
Judec,  east  from  Eleutheropo- 
lis,  the  native  place  of  the 
prophet  Micah,  Mic.  i,  1. 

MOREH,  a  celebrated  plain 
in  the  land  of  Canaan,  situated 
between  the  two  hills,  Gerizim 
and  Ebal,  as  may  be  seen, 
Deut.  xi,  29,  30,  where  it  is 
said  "are  they  not  in  the  land 
of  the  Canaanites,  which  dwell 
in  the  champain  over  against 
Gilgal?  beside  the  plain  of 
Moreh."  Jacob  bequeathed 
this  plain  to  Joseph  as  a  mark 
of  particular  affection,  John  iv, 
5.  Here  was  Jacob's  well,  and 
near  the  plain  was  the  hill  Mo- 
reh, Judg.  vii,  1.  Jacob  bought 
this  field  of  Hamor  the  father 
of  Shechem  immediately  after 
his  return  from  Padanaram,    It 


was  doubtless  the  first  land  he 
ever  possessed,   as   his   own. 

He  gave  a  hundred  pieces  of 
money  for  it,  Gen.  xxxiii,  19. 
Concerning  the  plain  of  Mo- 
reh, Mr.  Maundrel  says,  it  is  a 
wide  field,  watered  with  a  fresh 
stream,  rising  between  it  and 
Sychem,  which  makes  it  so 
exceedingly  verdant,  and  fruit- 
ful, that  it  may  well  be  regard* 
ed  as  a  standing  token  of  the 
tender  affection,  of  the  good  pa- 
triarchJ.tcob,to  the  best  of  sons* 

MORI  AH,  a  mountain  in 
Jerusalem  upon  which  the  tem- 
ple was  built  by  king  Solomon, 
2  Chron.  iii,  1.  It  is  thought 
that  this  was  the  place  where 
Abraham  was  going  to  offer 
up  his  son  Isaac;  this  supposi- 
tion is  attended  with  great  dif- 
ficulties. Instead  of  Moriah, 
the  Samaritans  read  Moreh, 
and  say  that  God  sent  Abra- 
ham near  to  Sichem,  where 
Moreh  certainly  stood,  and 
that  it  was  to  mount  Gerizim 
to  which  Isaac  was  brought  to 
be  sacrificed.  Maimonides  says, 
that  the  place  where  David 
built  his  altar,  in  the  threshing 
floor  of  Araunah,  was  the  same 
where  Abraham  built  his,  upon 
which  he  bound  Isaac. 

MOSEROTH,  one  of  the 
encampments  of  the  Israelites 
in  the  wilderness  being  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Kedesh,  and 
near  to  mount  Hor,  where 
Aaron  died,  Num.  xxxiii,  30, 


MYS 


NAB 


This  place  is  thought  to  be  the 
same  with  Hazcroth. 

MYNDUS,an  island  in  the 
Icarian  sea,     1  Maccabees  xv. 

MYRA,  a  city  of  JLycia, 
where  St.  Paul  embarked  on 
board  a  vessel  of  Alexandria 
in  order  to  go  to  Rome,  Acts 
xxvii,  5.  Whether  he  found- 
ed a  church,  we  are  uncertain; 
but  from  the  fourth  to  the  ninth 
century,  when  the  Saracens 
seized  it,  there  were  bishops  in 
this  place.     Lat.  36y  40. 

MYSIA,  a  province  of  Asia 
Minor, bounded  by  the  Propon- 
tis  andBythynia  north,by  part  of 
Phrygia  east,  Caria  south,  and 
Troas  and  a  part  of  ihe  Egean 
sea  west.  St.  Paul  preached  in 
this  country,  Acts  xvi,  7. 
From  Mysia  he  went  to  Tro- 
as. In  this  province  are  the 
celebrated  mountains  of  Olym- 
pus and  Ida.  Olympus,  Mr. 
Tournefcrt  calls,  "a  dreadful 
chain  of  mountains  "  After 
ascending  Olympus  for  three 
hours  on  horseback,  he  found 
himself  surrounded  with  snow 
and  fir  trees,  which  forbid  the 
prosecution  of  his  proposed 
journey  to  the  top,  to  which 
it  was  yet  a  day's  journey.  Ida 
is  also  a  chain  oF  mountains, 
and  me  different  summits  are 
distinguished  by  different 
names.  In  these  mountains 
several  rivers   have  their  sour- 

.     Lat.  41,  N. 

35 


NAAMAH,  a  city  of  the 
tribe  of  Judah.  Josh,  xv,  41, 
Lat.  31,  51. 

Naamah  or  Naamath, 
a  city  from  whence  came  Zo«. 
phar,  one  of  Job's  friends,  Job 
ii,  2.     Lat.  33,  7. 

NAARAN,  a  city  of  E- 
phraim,  1  Chron.  vii,  28.  This 
place  is  supposed  by  some  tq 
be  the  same  as  Naarath. 

NAARATH,  a  city  of  the 
tribe  of  Ephraim,  Josh,  xvi,  7? 
situated  according  to  Eusebi- 
us,  five  miles  from  Jericho* 
This  is,  probably,  the  same  as 
Neara,  mentioned  by  Josephus, 
and  whence  they  brought  wares: 
to  refresh  the  palm  trees  of  Jer- 
icho.    Lat.  32,  51. 

NABATPL^EANS,  or  Na- 
bathites,  the  inhabitants  o£ 
Nabathaea,  a  country  of  Ara^ 
bia,  extending  from  the  Eu- 
phrates to  the  Red  Sea,  the 
chief  cities  of  which  are  Petra,. 
the  capital  of  Arabia  Dcserta, 
and  Medeba.  We  scarce  find 
any  mention  of  this  people  in 
the  writings  of  the  Hebrews, 
before  the  time  of  the  Macca- 
bees. During  the  several  wars, 
that  the  Jews  maintained  against 
the  Syrians,  and  while  almost 
all  the  other  nations,  about 
them  were  against  the  He- 
brews, the  Nabathceans  alone 
showed  them  friendship.  1 
Mace,  v,  24,  25,  &c.  They 
received  their  name  from  theft 


NAI 


NAP 


ancestor  Nebaiath,  a  son  of  Ish- 
mael,  and  appear  to  be  one  of 
the  most  civilized  tribes  of  the 
Arabians;  a  part  of  them  em- 
braced Christianity. 

NACHON,  the  name  of  a 
place  in  Judea,  2  Sam.  vi,  6, 
which  is  called  also  Chidon  in 
1  Chroru  xiii,  9. 

NAHALAL,  a  city  of  Zeb- 
ulon,  Josh,  xix,  15.  It  was 
yielded  up  to  the  Levites,  and 
given  to  the  family  of  Merari, 
Josh,  xxi,  35.  The  children 
ofZebulondid  not  make  them- 
selvescomplete  masters  of  it,but 
permitted  the  Canaanites  to 
dwell  in  it.  Judg.  ir  30.  Its  sit- 
uation is  not  exactly  known. 

NAHALIEL,  an  encamp- 
ment of  the  Israelites  in  the 
wilderness.  From  Mattanah 
they  went  to  Nahaliel,  and 
thence  to  Bamoth,  Numb,  xxi, 
19.  Eusebius  says,  that  Na- 
haliel is  upon  the  Arnon,  and 
that  Mattanah  is  beyond  the 
Arnon  toward  the  east,  twelve 
miles  from  Medeba.  Nahaliel 
signifies,  My  river  is  the  Lord. 
Perhaps  this  was  a  copious  tor- 
rent; extraordinary  things  were 
said  to  be  of  God,  or  of  the 
Lord.     Lat.  31,  30. 

NAHASH,  the*  name  of  a 
city,  1  Chron.  iv,  12. 

NAIN,  a  city  of  Palestine, 
where  Jesus  Christ  restored  the 
widow's  son  to  life.  Eusebius 
says,  that  this  city  was  in  the 


neighborhoo,d  of  Endor,  and 
Scythopolis.  Elsewhere,  he 
says,  that  it  was  two  miles  from 
Tabor,  towards  the  south.  The 
brook  Kishon  ran  between  Ta- 
bor anpl  Nain.  Mr.  Maundrel 
thinks  that  Nain  was  near 
mount  Hermon. 

Nain,  a  town  of  Iduraea, 
where  Simon,  son  of  Gioras7 
fortified  himself. 

NAIOTH,  near  Ramah,  a 
place  where  David  withdrew, 
to  avoid  the  violence  of  Saul? 
who  sought  him  to  put  him  to 
death.  Samuel,  with  the  sons 
of  the  prophets  dwelt  at  Naioth, 
1  Sam.  xix,  23. 

NAPHTALI.  This  tribe 
extended  into  upper  and  lower 
Galilee,  having  Jordan  east, 
and  the  tribe  of  Asher  west, 
the  mountains  of  Lebanon 
north.  This  tribe  did  not  ex- 
pel the  Canaanites  of  Bethanah 
and  Bethshemesh,  but  made 
them  tributary.  Being  a  north- 
ern frontier,  thev  were  always 
exposed  to  foreign  invasion, 
and  were  the  first  to  be  made 
captive  by  the  king  of  Assyria. 
The  dying  Jacob  said,  "Naph- 
tali  is  a  hind  let  loose;  he  giv- 
eth  goodly  words;"  but  the 
Septuagint  gives  another  ex- 
plication to  these  words. 
"Naphtali  is  a  tree  that  puts 
forth  young  branches;  the 
shoots  of  which  are  fine,"  com- 
mending his   fruitfulness,  and 


NAZ 


NAZ 


the  beauty  of  his  race;  accord- 
ingly, though  he  had  but  four 
sons,  yet  this  tribe  when  they 
came  from  Egypt  had  53,400 
men  able  to  bear  arms;  but  in 
the  wilderness  they  were  re- 
duced to  45,400.  In  their 
march  through  the  wilderness 
they  encamped  on  the  north 
side  of  the  tabernacle,  between 
the  tribes  of  Dan  and  Manas- 
seh.  When  Jesus  Christ  was 
upon  earth  he  preached  more 
frequently  in  this  tribe  and  the 
vicinity,  than  any  where  else. 

XAPHTAHIM.  The  same 
remark:  may  be  made  concern- 
ing this  name,  which  I  have  had 
occasion  to  repeat  hi  the  course 
of  this  work,  tliat  it  is  some- 
what  uncertain  whether  it  de- 
signates an  individual,  or  a 
people.  That  an  individual 
bore  this  name  is  notdoubted. 
He  was  the  fourth  son  of  Miz- 
raim,  Gen.  x,  13.  But  as  the 
termination  is  plural,  it  might 
denote  his  descendants,  who 
settled  in  a  part  of  Abyssinia; 
Napata  was  the  capital  city. 
It  has  been  supposed  thatNaph- 
tahim  may  be  the  Neptune  of 
the  pagans;  he  was  said  to  be 
a  Lybian,  and  his  temples  were 
generally  on  the  sea  shore. 
Sanson  places  this  region  in 
Egvpt.     Lat.  30,  20. 

NAZARETH,  a  little  city 
in  the  tribe  of  Zebulon,  in  lower 
Galilee,  to  the  west  of  Tabor, 
and  to  the  east  of  Prolemais. 


Eusebius  says,  it  is  fifteen  milcrf 
from  Legion,  towards  the  east. 
This  city  is  much  celebrated 
in  the  scriptures,  for  having 
been  the  place  where  Jesus 
Christ  usually  resided  for  the 
first  33  years  of  his  life,  Luke 
ii,  51.  It  was  there  that  he 
lived  in  obedience  to  Joseph 
and  Mary,  and  from  whence  he 
took  the  name  of  a  Nazarene. 
The  house  which  he  inhabited 
is  said  still  to  be  pointed  out  to 
travellers.  After  he  had  be- 
gun to  execute  his  mission,  he 
preached  there,  sometimes,  in 
the  synagogue,  which  it  is  said 
is  also  yet  standing,  Luke  iv, 
16.  But  because  his  country- 
men had  no  faith  in  him,  and 
were  offended  at  the  meanness 
of  his  original,  he  did  not  many 
miracles  there,  Matt,  xiii,  51, 
58,  nor  would  he  continue 
there,  but  fixed  his  habitation 
at  Capernaum  for  the  latter  part 
of  his  life.  The  city  of  Naz- 
areth was  situated  on  an  emi- 
nence. 

St.  Epiphanius  says,  that  in 
his  time,  Nazareth  was  only  a 
small  village,  and  that  to  the 
reign  of  Constantino  it  was  in- 
habited by  Jews  alone,  exclu- 
sive of  all  Christians.  Adam- 
naus,  a  writer  of  the  seventh 
age,  says,  that  in  his  time  there 
were  two  great  churches  to  be 
seen  at  Nazareth,  one  in  the 
midst  of  the  city  built  upon 
two  arches,  in  the  place  where 


NA£ 


bur  Savior's  house  had  stood, 
tinder  the  two  arches  now  men- 
tioned, was  a  very  fine  fountain, 
which  furnished  water  to  the 
whole  city,  and  whence  water 
was  drawn  also,  by  the  help  of 
a  pulley,  for  the  use  of  the 
church  above.  The  second 
church  of  Nazareth  was  built  in 
a  place  where  the  house  stood 
in  which  the  angel  Gabriel  re- 
vealed to  the  Virgin  Mary  the 
jnystery  of  our  Lord's  incarna- 
tion, and  we  are  assured  that 
the  church  of  incarnation, 
which  is  supported  by  two 
arches,  is  in  being  to  this  day. 
Mr  Maundrel  tells  us,  that 
there  is  a  convent  built  over 
what  is  said  to  be  the  place  of 
annunciation.  But  as  to  the 
identity  of  another  object,  more 
durable  in  its  nature,  some  cOn- 
'iidence  may  be  indulged. 
When  Jesus  Chri§t  preached, 
Luke  iv,  16,  to  his  former 
sieighbors  and  friends  the  doc- 
trine of  God's  sovereign  provi- 
dence, they  were  filled  with 
wrath;  they  rose  up  and  thrust 
trim  out  of  the  city,  and  led 
Mm  unto  the  brow  of  the  hill, 
on  which  their  city  was  built, 
that  they  might  cast  him  down 
headlong.  This  hill,  they  now 
call  the  mountain  of  Precipita- 
tion. It  is  a  mile  and  a  half 
from  the  village;  in  going  to  it, 
•you  first  cross  over  the  vale, 
in  which  Nazareth  now  stands? 


from  which  it  appears  the  place 
does  not  now  cover  all  the 
ground  which  it  once  occupied; 
then  going  down  two  or  three 
furlongs,  in  a  narrow  cleft  be- 
tween the  rocks,  you  clamber 
up  a  short,  but  difficult  way,  on 
the  right  hand.  At  the  top  of 
this,  you  find  a  great  stone 
standing  on  the  brink  of  the 
precipice,  which  is  said  to  be 
the  very  spot,  whence  had  he  not 
miraculously  escaped,  our  di- 
vine Lord  would  have  been 
thrown  down  by  his  enraged 
neighbors.  Nazareth  is  90 
miles  from  Jerusalem,  and  24 
from  Acre.  D'Arvieux  says, 
that  the  town  is  now  situated 
at  the  foot  of  a  mountain  and 
surrounded  on  all  sides  by  hills 
and  mountains,  leaving  a  little 
valley  between  them  full  of 
thistles  and  pebbles.  The 
town  is  inhabited  only  by  a 
few  religions  of  the  Holy  Land, 
and  by  some  poor  Christians 
in  their  service.  Both  Turks 
and  Christians  have  a  great 
veneration    for  this    neiehbor- 

o 

hood. 

Volney,  who  has  more  re- 
cently been  at  the  place,  says, 
that  Nazareth  is  an  inconsider- 
able village,  one  third  of  whose 
inhabitants  are  Mahotnetn 
the  others  'are  of  the  Greek 
church.  The  fathers  of  the 
Holy  Land  have  an  inn  here, 
and  a  church.     In  thetirn-: 


NEB 


NEP 


Daher  they  were  obliged  to 
make  a  present  to  every  wife 
whom  he  married,  and  lie  was 
careful  to  marry  one  almost 
every  week.     Lat.  32,  42. 

NEAH,  a  city  in  the  tribe 
of  Zebulon,  Joshua  xix,  13. 

NEAPOLIS,  now  called 
JVapoli,  a  city  of  Macedonia, 
whit  her  St.  Paul  came  after  he 
had  left  the  Isle  of  Samothracia, 
Acts  xvi,  11.  Hence  he  went 
to  Philippi.  From  his  time 
Christianity  has  been  supported 
here,  in  the  sixth  and  seventh 
centuries  there  were  bishops 
in  this  place. 

Neapolis,  or  Naplouse, 
See  Shechem. 

NEBALHAT,  a  city  of  Ca- 
naan in  the  tribe  of  Benjamin. 

NEBO,  a  city  in  the  tribe 
of  Reuben,  Numbers  xxxii, 
38.  This  city  being  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  country 
of  Moab,  the  Moabites  became 
masters  of  it,  and  in  the  time 
of  Jeremiah  it  was  in  their  pos- 
session, Jer.  xlviii,  1. 

Nebo  was  also  the  name  of 
a  city  of  Juclah.  See  Ezra  ii, 
29;  and  x,  43;  it  is  thought!  to 
have  been  the  village  of  Nabau, 
eight  miles  from  Hebron,'  to- 
wards the  south,  which  was 
forsaken  in  the  time  of  Euse- 
bius  and  St.  Jerome. 

Nebo  was  likewise  a  moun- 
tain beyond  Jordan,  where 
>ses  died,  Dcut.  xxxii,  49  . 


This  mountain  was  near  the 
Jordan,  and  opposite  to  Jericho. 
Lat.  31,  33. 

NEHELESHCOL,  the 
brook  or  valley  of  grapes. 
This  name  was  given  to  the 
place  where  the  spies  of  Israel 
gathered  the  bunch  of  grapes, 
which  they  brought  to  the  camp 
at  Kadesh,  on  a  pole  between 
two  men.  The  Hebrew  word 
nehel,  or  nachal,  denotes  either 
a  valley  or  a  brook;  this  place 
was  south  of  Canaan. 

NEIEL,  a  city  in  the  tribe 
of  Asher,  or  according  to  oth- 
ers in  Naphtali,  Joshua  xix,  27. 
It  is  fifteen  miles  east  from 
Ceesarea,  and  is  situated  on  a 
mountain  where,  they  say,  are 
medicinal  baths. 

NEKEB,  a  city  of  Palestine, 
belonging  to  the  tribe  of  Naph- 
tali, Joshua  xix,  33.  Some 
suppose  that  this  place  is  cal- 
led Adam,  Joshua  xix,  33. 
The  word  signifies  an  opening; 
a  cave  or  grotto  might  be 
known  in  the  place.  Names 
derived  from  such  a  circum- 
stance were  common  in  Pales- 
tine, where  caves  were  numer- 
ous. 

NEPHI,  oi-Naphthar,  the. 
name  of  that  place  where  Ne- 
hemiah  found  the  muddy  wa- 
ter, which  was  in  the  pit,  where 
the  holy  fire  had  been  hid, 
2  Mace,  i,  35.  Copies  vary 
concerning  this  word. 


Hie 


NIL 


NEPHTOAH,  the  name  of 
a  fountain  in  the  tribe  of  Ben- 
jamin, Josh,  xv,  9.  Travel- 
lers are  now  shown  this  foun- 
sain,  near  vvhieh  was  a  church 
dedicated  to  John  the  baptist. 
It  is  believed  that  Zacharias 
and  Elizabeth  lived  here,  and 
had  their  water  from  this 
spring,  or  it  might  be  a  city 
deriving  its  name  from  this 
fountain.     Lat.  31,  47. 

NEPTHATH-DOR,  a  city 
in  the  tribe  of  Manasseh, 
called  also  Dor. 

NESIB,  a  city  in  the  tribe 
of  Judah,  Josh,  xv,  43. 

NETOPHA,  or  Neto- 
phath,  a  city  and  country  be- 
tween Bethlehem  and  Ana- 
thoth,  Ezra  ii,  22.  We  find 
several  persons  in  scripture 
that  were  natives  of  Netopha. 
The  place  was  noted  for  the 
culture  of  olives  and  artichokes. 

NIBSHAN,  a  city  of  Judea, 
belonging  to  the  tribe  of  Judah, 
Josh,  xv,  62. 

NICOPOLIS,  a  city  of 
Epirus,  upon  the  gulf  of 
Ambracia,  where  St.  Paul 
passed  his  winter  in  the  year 
64.  He  sent  word  to  Titus, 
who  was  then  in  Crete,  to  come 
to  him  there,  Titus  iii,  12. 
Some  are  of  opinion,  that  the 
city  of  Nicopolis,  where  St. 
Paul  intended  to  winter,  was 
not  that  of  Epirus,  but  that  of 
Thrace,    upon  the  borders  of 


Macedonia,  near  the  river  Nes- 
sus.    Lat.  38,  30.     Carpenter. 

Nicopolis,  a  city  of  Pal- 
estine. It  has  been  supposed 
to  be  the  same  as  Emmaus, 
which  see, 

NILE,  a  river  of  Egypt, 
and  one  of  the  most  celebrated 
in  the  world.  In  scripture  it 
is  called  Sihor  or  Shichor,  from 
a  Hebrew  word,  which  signi- 
fies troubled;  the  water  of  this 
river  being  troubled  or  turbid. 
Le  Clerc  and  Calmet  suppose 
it  is  also  called  the  River  of 
Egypt;  Pool  is  quite  of  anoth- 
er opinion.  It  is  sometimes 
called  the  River.  The  sources' 
of  the  Nile  were  so  much  un- 
known to  the  ancients,  that  the 
search  for  them  became  a  prov- 
erb to  express  any  thing  ridic- 
ulous or  impossible.  Kings 
and  generals,  and  the  heads  of 
armies,  made  the  attempt,  and 
as  often  failed.  The  Ptolemies, 
the  Caesars,  the  Alexanders, 
and  Neros,  were  among  the 
unsuccessful  adventurers.  This 
honor  was  reserved  for  James 
Bruce,  Esq.  a  gentleman  from 
Scotland,  and  a  most  distin- 
guished traveller.  He  resided 
several  years  at  the  coast  of 
Abyssinia,  and  visited  the  foun- 
tains of  the  Nile.  These  foun- 
tains rise  in  a  meadow  in  the 
district  of  Geesh.  Lat.  11,  N. 
Lon.  36,  55,  50,  east  from 
Grea.     The  Agows,  uho  re- 


NU- 


NIL 


vide  in  the  vicinity,  of  these 
springs  pay  divine  honors  to 
the  Nile.  Here  thousands  of 
cattle  have  been  sacrificed  to 
the  spirit  of  the  river.  Here 
the  surrounding  tribes  annually 
assemble  and  make  their  offer- 
ings to  the  god  of  peace.  All 
feuds  and  animosities  are  here 
terminated;  the  solemn  anni- 
versary cancels  all  offences. 
The  high  priest  of  the  Nile,  if 
we  may  believe  him,  often  sees 
and  converses  with  the  spirit  of 
the  river,  who  is  styled,  '"Most 
high  God,  Savior  of  the 
world,  God  of  peace,  father 
of  the  universe."  To  him 
they  direct  their  prayers. 
[Bruce.]  Still  we  ought  here 
to  remark,  that  our  greatest 
geographers  believe  that  the 
source,  or  head  waters  of  the 
Nile,  are  not  to  be  found  in 
Abyssinia;  but  at  least  700 
miles  to  the  south-west,  among 
the  mountains  of  the  Moon, 
Gebel  el  Kumr.  It  is  there  call- 
ed Bahr  el  Abiad  or  the  White 
iiver.  Mr.  Bruce  himself  ac- 
knowledges, that  the  White 
river  "is  three  times  as  large" 
as  that  branch,  which,  coming 
from  Abyssinia,  he  calls  the 
Nile.  He  also  confesses,  "thnt 
were  it  not  for  the  Abiad,  or 
White  river,  whose  inundations 
are  perpetual,  from  its  enjoy- 
ing the  rains  of  both  rainy  sea- 
sons, the  Nile  itself  would  be 


dry  eight  months  in  a  year, 
and  at  no  time  would  it  arrive 
across  the  Desert,  in  so  much 
fulness,  as  to  answer  the  pur- 
poses of  agriculture  in  Egypt." 
The  source  of  the  real  Nile  is 
then,  yet  to  be  discovered.  It 
may  reflect  some  light  on  the 
subject,  here  to  remark,  that 
the  mouth  of  the  Niger,  a  great 
river  of  Africa,  is  as  much  un- 
known, as  the  source  of  the 
Nile.  By  recent  discoveries, 
made  by  Park  and  Horneman, 
it  has  been  rendered  somewhat 
probable,  that  these  two  are  the 
same  stream.  "The  Niger 
rises  from  the  chain  of  moun- 
tains, denominated  the  moun- 
tains of  the  moon,which  proceed 
across  the  whole  continent  a- 
bout  lat.ll,N.  Whether  theNi- 
ger  falls  into  lakes  in  the  region 
of  Wangaru,  and  Ghanu,  or 
whether  it  is  the  principal 
branch  of  the  Nile,  has  not  been 
absolutely  ascertained.  A  late 
traveller  favors  the  latter  opin- 
ion, and  informs  us,  that  the 
peopleof  Bambarra, on itb  banks, 
have  but  one  opinion  on  the 
subject.  They  declare,  and 
one  would  suppose  their  testi- 
mony might  be  conclusive, 
that  their  people  have  ac- 
tuallv  descended  the  Niger 
to  JLgypt.  They  say,  that  its 
banks,  between  Tambucto  and 
Cairo,  are  adorned  with  twelve 
hundred  towns  and  cities.  [See 


NIL 


NIL 


travels  of  J.  G.  Jackson.]  This 
accords  with  the  opinion  of 
Ludolph  in  the  seventeenth 
century.  It  was  also  the  opin- 
ion of  the  ancient  Roman  and 
Arabian  geographers.  Hero- 
dotus, Pliny,  Strabo,  and  oth- 
ers, all  believed  that  the  Nile 
and  Niger  were  the  same  river. 
This  seems  to  be  confirmed  by 
the  most  recent  information 
from  Africa.  (See  Quarterly 
Review,  1809.)  This  hypoth- 
esis will  make  the  Nile  the 
longest  river  in  the  stfobe. 
Without  reckoning  its  smaller 
windings,  its  course  must  be 
somewhat  more  than  4000 
miles.  The  greatest  breadth 
of  the  river  is  about  100  rods, 
the  depth  of  the  water  is  24 
feet,  its  course  is  about  3  miles 
in  an  hour,  and  its  rise  is  about 
24  feet.       Brown's  Travels. 

Soon  after  the  rise  of  the 
Abyssinian  branch,  this  river 
runs  through  the  great  lake 
Dambia,  and  then  makes  along 
circuit  towards  its  source, which 
it  leaves  25  miles  to  the  east, 
forminga  sort  of  peninsula;  after 
this,  it  runs  through  the  re- 
maining part  of  Abyssinia  into 
Nubia,  and  then  into  Egypt, 
till  it  arrives  at  Cairo;  a  little 
below  which, it  divides  itself  into 
two  ^rcat  branches,  which,  with 
the  Mediterranean  sea,  form  the 
island  called  Delta.  The  an- 
oients  reckoned  eleven  mouths 


to  the  Nile,  of  which  7  are  con- 
siderable. 

The  country  of  Egypt,  is 
not  overflown,  as  some  writers 
have  asserted.  In  Upper  E- 
gypt  the  high  banks  always 
prevent  the  expansion  of  the 
water.  No  part  is  overflown 
except  the  lower  part  of  the 
Delta;  the  lands  near  the  river 
are  watered  by  machines,  ai.d 
where  the  breadth  of  the  coun- 
try renders  it  necessary,  canals 
are  cut  to  lead  the  water  from 
the  river;  while  two  hundred 
thousand  oxen  are  employed  in 
drawing  water  from  the  pits 
and  canals  to  irrigate  their  fields, 
and  gardens. 

Homer,  Xenophon,  and  Di- 
odorus  Siculus  testify,  that  the 
ancient  name  of  this  river  was 
Egyptus;  and  the  latter  of  these 
writers  says,  that  it  took  the 
name  of  Nilus,  only,  since  the 
time  of  a  king  of  Egypt,  cal- 
led by  that  name.  Josh,  xiii, 
3,  and  Jer.  ii,  18,  call  the  Nile 
Sihor;  and  when  the  scriptures 
point  out  the  limits  of  the  land 
of  promise,  they  often  put  the 
river  of  Egypt  for  its  most 
southerly  hunts,  but  whether 
this  be  the  Nile  is  doubtful. 
The  Greeks  gave  i.t  the  name 
of  Melas;  and  Diodorus  Sicu- 
lus observes,  that  the  most 
ancient  name  bv  which  the 
Grecians  have  known  the  Nile, 
was   Oceanus.      The  ancient 


.lb 

Egyptians  paid  Divine  honors 
this  river,  and  Called  Jupi- 
Nilosj  for  which  reason 
ic  interpreters  think,  that 
Lord  sometimes  threatens 
in  the  prophets  to  smite  the 
river  of  Egypt,  to  dry  up,  and 
kill  its  fishes,  as  it  were  to 
show  the  Egyptians  the  vanity 
of  their  worship,  and  the  im- 
potence of  their  pretended  dei- 
ty. See  Isaiah  xi,  15;  Ezck. 
::xix,  34,  &c.     Often  the  E- 

ptians  have  contentions  a- 
mong    one  another,   village  a- 

inst  village,  to  decide  which 
shall  have  the  first  distribution 
of  the  waters  into  cheir  canals, 
and  when  the  overflowing 
comes  to  the  height,  which 
they  desire,  they  celebrate  a 
great  festival  all  over  the  coun- 
try. While  the  Nile  over- 
flows only  to  the  perpendicu- 
height  of  twelve  cubits,  a 
famine  necessarily  follows  in 
Egypt,  Dor  is  the   :  less 

certain,  should  it  exceed  six- 
teen cubits,  as  Pliny  says;  so 
that  the  ju§t  height  of  the  in- 
undation is  between  twelve  and 
sixteen  cubits.  The  Milome- 
ter is  a  pillar  erected  in  the 
middle  ofthe  Nile,  upon  which 
are  marked  the  degrees,  of  the 
ascent  of  the  water.  There 
were  several  of  these  in  differ- 
ent places  of  the  Nile.  At  this 
d; "•.}■  there  is  one  in  the  island, 
where  the  Nile  is  divided  into 
36 


two  arms,  one  of  which  passe.°, 
to.  Cairo  and  the  other  to  Gi- 
zah. 

There  has  been  a  great  va- 
riety of  opinions,  concerning 
the  cause  of  the  overflowing 
of  the  Nile.  Some  have  im- 
puted it  to  the  nitre  with  which 
this  river  is  impregnated,  and 
causes  its  overflowings,  by  the 
vehement  fermentations,  during 
the  violent  heat  of  the  sum- 
mer. But  at  present  it  is  but 
little  doubted  that  it  is  oc- 
casioned by  the  great  rains, 
which  fall  in  Ethiopia,  in  the 
months  of  June,  July,  and  Au- 
gust, which  are  the  winter 
months  in  that  country.  These 
waters  carry  along  with  them, 
much  mud  which  very  much 
contributes  to  fatten  and  en- 
rich the  land,  When  the  wa- 
ters are  withdrawn,  the  culture 
of  the  land  is  very  easy.  The 
1  is  cas<:  upon  the  mud,  and 
with  very  little  tillage  it  pro- 
duces in  great  plenty. 

NIMRAH,  a  city  of  the 
tribe  of  Gad,  or  rather  of  Reu- 
ben, situated  to  the  east  ofthe 
Dead  Sea.  Jer.  xlviii,  34, 
speaks  of  the  city  of  Nimrim, 
and  its  pleasant  waters,  Isa.  xv, 
6,  also  makes  mention  of  the 
waters  of  Nimrim.  St.  Jerome, 
says,  that  Nimrim  is  situated 
upon  the  Dead  Sea;  and  its 
name  Nimrim;  comes  from  the 
bitterness  of  its  waters,  which 


NIN 


Nusr 


have  contracted  this  quality 
since  the  desolation  of  the  city, 
as  had  been  denounced  by  the 
prophets,  Isaiah  and  Jeremiah. 
The  waters  of  Nimrim  were 
made  desolate,  when  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  neighborhood,  and 
especially  the  fishermen,  were 
carried  into  captivity,  by  the 
Assyrians  and  Chaldeans,  Jer. 
xlviii,  34;  Isa.  xv,  6.  It  is 
however  a  question  whether 
Nimrim  was  not  a  place  differ- 
ent from  Nimrah. 

NINEVEH,  the  capital  city 
of  Assyria,  founded  by  Asher, 
the  son  of  Shem,  Gen.  x,  11, 
or  as  others  read  the  text,  by 
Nimrod  the  son  of  Cush. 
However  this  may  be,  yet  it 
must  be  owned,  that  Nineveh 
was  one  of  the  most  ancient, 
the  most  famous,  the  most 
potent  and  populous  cities  of 
the  world.  Though  it  is  very 
difficult  to  assign  the  exact 
time  of  its  foundation,  it  could 
not  be  long  after  the  building  of 
Babel.  It  was  situated  upon 
the  banks  of  the  Tigris;  and 
in  the  time  of  the  prophet  Jo- 
nas, who  was  sent  thither  un- 
der Jeroboam  the  second,  king 
of  Israel,  and  as  Calmet  thinks, 
under  the  reign  of  Pul,  father 
of  Sardanapalus,  king  of  As- 
syria, Nineveh  was  a  very  great 
city,  its  circuit  being  three  days 
journey,  Jonah  iii,  3.  Diodorus 
Siculus,  who  has  given  us  the 


dimensions  of  it,  says  it  was 
480  stades  in  circumference, 
or  47  miles;  and  that  it  was 
surrounded  with  lofty  walls  and 
towers;  the  former  being  200 
feet  in  height,  and  so  very 
broad,  that  three  chariots  might 
drive  on  them  abreast,  and  the 
latter  200  feet  in  height,  and 
1500  in  number;  and  Strabo 
allows  it  to  have  been  much 
greater  than  Babylon.  Diodo- 
rus Siculus  was,  however,  cer- 
tainly mistaken,  or  rather  his 
transcribers,  as  the  authors  of 
the  Universal  History  suppose, 
in  placing  Nineveh  on  the  Eu- 
phrates, since  all  historians,  as 
well  as  geographers,  who  speak 
of  that  city,  tell  us  in  express 
terms,  that  it  stood  on  the  Ti- 
gris. At  the  time  of  Jonah's 
mission  thither,  it  was  so  pop- 
ulous, that  it  was  reckoned  to 
contain  more  than  six  score 
thousand  persons,  who  could 
not  distinguish  their  right 
hand  from  their  left,  Jonah  iv, 
11,  which  is  generally  explain- 
plained  of  young  children,  that 
had  not  yet  attained  to  the  use 
of  reason;  so  that  upon  this 
principle  it  is  computed,  that 
the  inhabitants  of  Nintfveh  were 
then  above  six  hundred  thou- 
sand persons.  We  have  said 
Nineveh  was  a  citv  of  three 
davs  iournev.  "Jonah  entered 
the  city  a  day's  journey;"  hence 
it  seems,  not  the  circuit,  but 


NIN 


NUN1 


the  diameter  of  the  city  was 
three  dav's  journey.   See  Wells, 

Modern  travellers  say,  that 
the  ruins  of  ancient  Nineveh, 
may  still  be  seen  on  the  eastern 
banks  of  the  Tigris,  opposite 
to  the  city  Mozul.  Profane 
historians  tell  us,  that  Ninus 
first  founded  Nineveh.  But 
the  scripture  assures  us,  that 
it  was  Asher  or  Nimrod.  See 
Assyria. 

Nahum  and  Zcphnniah,  fore- 
told the  ruin  of  this  city  in  a 
very  particular  and  pathetic 
manner.  The  dispute  at  the 
present  time  respecting  the 
scite  of  this  city  is  a  wonderful 
fulfilment  of  prophecy.  The 
place  of  its  situation,  as  the 
learned  Bochart  has  observed, 
"is  not  to  be  ascertained." 
Nahum  i,  8,  "With  an  over- 
running flood,  he  will  make  an 
utter  end  of  the  place  thereof," 
that  is,  God  will  so  destroy 
Nineveh,  that  the  place  where 
it  stood  shall  not  be  known  yi 
after  ages.  This  construction 
is  confirmed  by  fact,  also  by 
the  3d  chapter  and  17th  verse, 
"Thy  crowned  shall  be  as  the 
locusts,  and  thy  captains  as  the 
great  grasshoppers, which  camp 
in  the  hedges  in  a  cold  day; 
but  when  the  sun  rises,  they 
flee  away,  and  their  place  is 
not  known,  where  they  are" 
is  it  is  rendered  in  our  Bibles; 
but   the  last  verb   nor    being 


expressed  in  Hebrew,  it  BUQ 
better  be  rendered,  as  it  actu- 
ally is  in  the  Vulgate,  "their 
place  is  not  known  where  they 
have  been.''''  This  rendering 
seems  more  just  and  signifi- 
cant. What  can  be  more  strik- 
ing. As  when  a  grasshopper 
has  flown  away,  you  can  per- 
ceive no  footsteps,  to  show 
where  he  has  been,  so  Nineveh 
shall  be  destroyed  and  not 
leave  a  trace  behind  to  show 
where  it  stood.  Lucian,  a  na- 
tive of  the  neighborhood,  in 
the  second  century  said,  "that 
Ninus  or  Nineveh  was  so  ut- 
terly destroyed,  that  there  re- 
mained no  footsteps  of  it,  nor 
could  one  tell  so  much  as 
where  it  stood."  Must  not 
such  historic  facts  satisfy  eve- 
ry intelligent  mind  that  the 
Bible  is  the  word  of  God? 
Several*  prophets  had  foretold 
this  improbable  event;  yet  the 
event  has  taken  place.  Zepha- 
niah  said,  "The  Lord  will  make 
Nineveh  a  desolation,  dry  like 
a  wilderness;  desolation  shall 
be  in  her  thresholds."  Mod- 
ern travellers  confirm  the  words 
of  prophecy.  Benjamin  a  Jew, 
who  was  there  in  the  12th  cen- 
tury says,  that  "Nineveh  is  laid 
waste;  yet  many  streets  and 
castles  are  to  be  seen.  Another 
traveller  who  was  there  in  A.D,. 
1300  asserts  that  Nineveh  is 
totally   laid    waste;  but  by  th<3 


NIN 


NIN 


ruins  it  appears  to  have  been  the 
greatest  city  in  the  world."  In 
the  seventeenth  century,  The- 
venot  tells  us,  "Some  of  its 
ruins  of  great  extent  are  to  be 
seen,  even  to  this  day."  Ta- 
vernier  says  that  Nineveh  is 
now  only  a  heap  of  rubbish." 
"Her  ruins  are  ruined."  God 
has  made  an  utter  end  of  her 
glory. 

Modern  travellers  also 
describe  the  climate  of  this 
country  in  unison  with  the  ac- 
count of  Jonah.  "When 
the  sun  did  arise — the  sun 
beat  upon  the  head  of  Jonah, 
that  he  fainted,  and  wished  in 
himself  to  die."  In  the  morn- 
ing when  he  expected  to  be 
most  cool  and  comiortable,  he 
found  the  burning  sun  intoler- 
able.— It  was  early  in  the  eve- 
ning, says  colonel  Campbell, 
when  the  pointed  turrets  of  the 
city  of  Mosul  opened  on  our 
view%  and  communicated  no 
Very  unpleasant  sensations  to 
my  heart.  I  found  m\  self  on 
Scripture  ground,  and  could 
not  help  feeling  some  portion 
of  the  pride  of  the  traveller, 
when  I  reflected,  that  I  was 
within  sight  [of  the  place]  of 
Nineveh,  renowned  in  holy 
writ.  Mosul  is  seated  on  a 
very  barren,  sandy  plain,  on  the 
banks  of  the  river  Tigris,  em- 
bellished with  the  united  gifts 
of  Pomona,  Ceres,  and  Flora. 


The  external  view  of  the  town 
is  much  in  its  favor,  being  en- 
compassed with  stately  walls  of 
solid  stone,  over  which  the 
steeples  of  other  lofty  buildings 
are  seen  with  increased  effect. 
But  though  the  outside  be  so 
beautiful,  the  inside  is  most 
detestable;  the  heat  is  so  in- 
tense that  in  the  middle  of  the 
day  there  is  no  stirring  out; 
and  even  at  night ;  the  walls  of 
the  houses  are  so  heated  by 
the  day's  sun,  as  to  produce  a 
disagreeable  heat  to  the  body, 
at  the  distance  of  a  loot  or  even 
a  yard.  It  was  still  the  hot 
season  of  the  year,  and  we  were 
to  travel  throueh  that  countrv. 
over  which  the  horrid  wind, 
called  by  the '  Turks  SamicI, 
sweeps  its  consuming  blasts, 
Job  calls  it  the  East  wind;  its 
ravages  extend  all  the  way 
from  the  extreme  cud  of  the 
gulf  of  Cambaya  up  to  Mosul; 
it  carries  along  with  it  Beaks 
of  fire,  like  threads  of  siik; 
instantly  it  strikes  deacr»those 
persons  who  breathe  it,  and 
consumes  them  inwardly  to 
ashes;  the  flesh  soon  becoi 
black  as  a  coal,  and  drops  from 
the  bones.  Philosophers  con- 
sider it  a  kind  of  electric  fire, 
proceeding  from  nitrous  ex- 
halations* The  only  possible 
method  of  escaping  its  fatal  ef- 
fects is  to  fall  flat  on  the 
ground,  and  so  prevent  inhal- 


NIN 


NO 


ing  the  vapor.  Beside  this, 
9  Campbell,  the  ordinary 
heat  of  the  climate  is  extreme- 
ly dangerous  to  the  blood  and 
lungs,  and-  even  to  the  skin, 
which  it  blisters  and  peels  from 
the  flesh;  so  much  affecting  the 
eyes,  that  travellers  are  oblig- 
ed to  wear  a  transparent  cover- 
ing over  them,  to  keep  off  the 
heat.  The  Samiel  or  Simoom 
is  thus  described  by  Mr. Bruce. 
On  the  16th,  at  eleven  o'clock, 
Idris  cried  out,  "Fall  on  your 
faces,  for  here  is  the  Simoom." 
I  saw  from  the  S.  E.  a  haze, 
like  the  purple  part  of  the  rain- 
bow, &c.  It  was  a  kind  of 
blush  upon  the  air,  and  it 
moved  very  rapidly,  for  I  could 
scarce  turn  to  fall  with  my  head 
on  the  ground,  when  I  felt  the 
heat  of  the  current  on  my  face. 
We  all  lay  flat  on  the  ground, 
as  if  dead,  till  Idris  told  us  it 
was  blown  over.  The  meteor 
or  purple  haze  which  I  saw, 
had  indeed  passed,  but  the  light 
air,  which  still  blew,  was  of 
heat  to  threaten  suffocation. 
For  my  part,  I  found  distinctly 
in  my  breast,  that  I  had  imbib- 
ed a  portion  of  it,  nor  was  I 
free  from  an  asthmatic  sensa- 
tion, till  I  '  had  been  some 
months  in  Italy,  at  the  baths 
of  Poretta,  near  two  years  after. 
A  universal  despondency  took 
possession  of  our  people;  they 
ceased  to  speak  to  one  another. 


D'Obsonvillc  says  he  saw  two 
travellers,  who  were  struck 
by  this  wind  during  their  sleep, 
and  died  on  the  spot.  The 
country  people,  he  says;  are 
afraid  of  being  surprised  by  it 
when  they  are  asleep.  As  this 
wind  approaches,  the  centinels 
of  the  camp  rouse  those  who 
are  asleep.  I  think  that  now 
we  may  account  for  the  des- 
truction of  185,000  men  in  the 
army  of  Sennacherib,  2  Kings 
xix.  The  destructioit  was  in 
the  ?ught.  Probably  the  sol- 
diers were  as  insolent  as  their 
general,  and  the  camp  guards 
not  watchful.  Perhaps  it  had 
been  an  evening  of  riot,  fol- 
lowed by  a  night  of  profound 
sleep.  The  whole  number  of 
the  army  is  not  mentioned; 
from  their  boasting  it  was 
probably  very  great.  Perhaps 
not  half  were  destroyed.  The 
survivors,  'Vising  early  in  the 
morning,"  discovered  the  rest 
of  the  army  to  be  dead  corpses. 
The  usual  despondency  pro- 
duced by  the  wind  is  seen,  in 
the  surviving  army  immediate- 
ly returning:  home. 

NO,  or  No- Ammo x,  a  city 
of  Egypt,  which  St.  Jerome  al- 
ways translates  by  Alexandria, 
Nahum  vi,  8.  But  it  is  rather 
the  city  of  Diospolis,  in  the 
Delta,  between  Busiris  to  the 
south,  and  Mcndesium  to  the 
north.  See  Jer.  xlvi,25;  Ezek. 


NO 


NO 


&xx,  14,  15,  16,  and  Nahum 
iii,8.  No- Amnion  signifies,  the 
habitation  of  Amrnon.  It  is 
much  doubted  where  this  city 
stood;  Bochart  thinks  it  the 
same  as  wis  called  Thebes. 
But  it  seems  from  good  au- 
thority to  have  been  a  splendid 
and  populous  place.  Temples, 
palaces,  and  columns  adorned 
its  squares,  and  in  its  walls 
were  a  hundred  gates.  Wells. 
Pliny  says,  that  the  oracle  of 
Ammon  was  twelve  days  jour- 
ney from  Memphis.  Diodorus 
Siculus  says,  that  the  district 
where  the  temple  stood,  though 
surrounded  with  deserts,  was 
watered  by  dews,  which  fell  no 
where  else  in  all  that  country. 
It  was  agreeably  adorned  with 
fruitful  trees,  springs,  and  vil- 
lages. In  the  centre  rose  the 
citadel,  surrounded  with  three 
walls.  Within  the  first,  or  in- 
most, was  the  palace;  within  the 
others  were  the  apartments  for 
the  women  and  family  of  the 
king,  also  the  temple  and  foun- 
tains for  ablutions.  Without 
these  walls  stood  another  tem- 
ple of  Ammon,  shaded  by  lofty 
trees,  and  near  was  the  fountain 
of  the  sun,  so  called,  from  its 
extraordinary  changes,  being 
warm  morning  and  evening, 
cold  at  noon,  and  hot  at  mid- 
night. A  kind  of  fossil  salt 
was  dug  here,  clear  as  crystal, 
used  by  the  Egyptians  in  their 


sacrifices,  and  thought  to  be  a 
present  worthy  of  kings.  Jere- 
miah,   Ezekiel,    and   Nahum 
prophesied    the   ruin    of    this 
place.     "I  will  execute  judg- 
ments in  No;  I  will  cut  off  the 
multitude  in  No\    No  shall   be 
rent  in  sunder;  she  was  carried 
away;  she  went  into  captivity; 
her  young  children  were  dash- 
ed in  pieces  at  the  top  of  all 
her  streets;   they  cast  lots  for 
her   honorable    men;     all    her 
great     men    were    bound    in 
chains."    The  ruin  of  this  citv 
says  Calmet,  happened  under 
Esarhaddon  and  Nebuchadnez- 
zar, and  was  completed  by  Sen- 
nacherib.     Its  ruins  are  yet 
visible,  and  justify  the  account 
of  their  extent  and  grandeur. 
From  Diodorus  we  learn  that 
the  same  city,  which  was  call- 
ed Thebes,  from    Thebah,  an 
ark,  was  also  called  Diospolis, 
the  city  of  Jupiter,  that  is  of 
Ham.      The  prophet  Nahum 
calls  it  No-Ammon,  the  habita- 
tion of  Ammon,  or  according 
to  fourteen  copies  collated  by 
Dr.Kennicott,  Naeh,  elsewhere 
it  is  called  Nau,     From  which 
it  may  be  remarked  that  No, 
Nueh,  Arau,  the  different  names 
of    this    town   have   certainly 
some  reference  to  the  patriarch 
Noah.    Its  other  name  Thebes, 
has  equal  reference  to  the  ark, 
and  Ammon   refers   to  Ham, 
the  progenitor  of  the   people, 


NOB 


NOD 


addicted  to  this  sort  of  worship. 
Amnion  was  the  Jupiter  of  the 
Greeks.  Hence  we  see,  that 
the  Greeks  would  naturally  call 
the  town  Diospolis,  which  the 
Egyptians  call  No-Ammon. 

NOB,  a  sacerdotal  city  of 
the  tribe  of  Benjamin.  St. 
Jerome  says  that  in  his  time, 
it  was  intirely  destroyed,  and 
that  the  ruins  of  it  might  be 
seen  not  far  from  Diospolis. 
It  was  12  miles  from  Gibeah. 
When  David  was  driven  away 
by  Saul,  he  went  to  Nob,  and 
asking  the  High-priest  Abim- 
elech,  for  some  provision  and 
arms,  the  priest  gave  him  the 
show  bread,  which  had  been 
lately  taken  off  the  Holy  table, 
and  the  sword  of  Goliah.  Saul 
being  informed  of  this  by  Do- 
eg,  caused  all  the  priests  of 
Nob  to  be  slain,  and  destroyed 
their  city,  1  Sam.  xxi,  22. 
At  this  place  Sennacherib  halted 
in  his  march  to  beseige  Jerusa- 
lem, and  here  dwelt  the  chil- 
dren of  Benjamin  after  their 
captivity. 

NOBAH,  a  city  beyond 
Jordan.  It  took  the  name  of 
Nobah  from  an  Israelite  of  this 
name  who  had  conquered  it, 
Numb,  xxxii,  42.  Gideon 
pursued  the  Midianites,  as  far 
as  this  city,  Judges  viii,  2. 
Eusebius  says,  that  there  is  a 
desolate  place  of  this  name, 
about  eight  miles  from  jHesh- 


bon,  towards  the  south.  Bu* 
this  could  not  be  the  NoUah 
now  mentioned,  because  it  was 
much  further  to  the  north. 

NOD,  or  the  land  of  AW,  it 
was  to  this  country,  that  Cain, 
withdrew  after  his  fratricide, 
Gen.  iv,  16.  The  Septuagint, 
as  well  as  Josephus,  read  Naid 
instead  of  Nod,  and  have  taken 
it  for  the  name  of  a  place,  It 
is  not  easily  known  what  coun- 
try this  was,  unless,  perhaps 
it  was  the  country  of  Nyse  or 
Nysea,  towards  Hyrcania. 
St.  Jerome  and  the  Chaldea  in- 
terpreters have  taken  the  word 
Nod,  in  the  sense  of  an  appel- 
lative, for  vagabond or  fugitive. 
"He  dwelt  a  fugitive  in  the 
land."  But  the  Hebrew  reads, 
"he  dwelt  in  the  land  of  Nod," 
Gen.  vi,   lb. 

NODAB,  a  country  border- 
ing upon  Iturea  and  Idumea, 
but  now  unknown. 

NOMADES,  a  tribe  of 
Arabians,  so  called  from  their 
living  without  any  fixed  set- 
tlements in  towns  and  cities, 
but  wandered  about  with  their 
flocks  and  herds,  as  they  could 
find  good  pasturage.  Hence 
the  name  has  been  applied  to 
such  wandering  hordes  in  Af- 
rica and  Scythia,  as  well  as  in 
Arabia.     See  Arabia. 

NOPH,  or  Memphis,  a 
very  famous  city  of  Egypt,  and 
till  the  time  of  the  Ptolemais, 


NO 


p 


MOi* 


who  removed  to  Alexandria, 
tlie  place  of  residence  for  the 
ancient  kings  of  Egypt.  The 
kings  of  Egypt  took  great 
pleasure  in 'adorning  this  city; 
and  it  continued  in  all  its  beau- 
ty, till  the  Arabians  made  a 
conquest  of  Egypt  under  the 
Caliph  Omar.  The  general 
who  took  it,  built  another  city 
just  by  it,  and  the  Caliph's 
Fatamites,  when  they  became 
masters  of  Egypt,  added  anoth- 
er to  it,  which  is  known  tons, 
under  the  name  of  Grand  Cai- 
ro: but  the  ancient  Memphis 
stood  on  the  western  shore  of 
the  Nile,  and  what  the  Arabi- 
ans have  built  there  from  time 
to  time,  is  on  the  eastern 
shore  of  that  river.  See  Egypt. 
The  prophets  often  speak  of 
this  city;  they  foretell  the  mis- 
eries it  was  to  suner  from  the 
kinffs  of  Chaldea  and  Persia, 
&e.  See  Isaiah  xix,  13;  Jer. 
xli,  1;  Hosea  ix,  6;  Ezekiel 
xxx,  13,  16.  It  is  now  com- 
pletely destroyed,  nor  is  the 
spot  on  which  it  stood  certain- 
ly known.  Jeremiah  had  said 
ages  before,  "Noph  shall  be 
waste  and  desolate,  without  an 
inhabitant.''''  Not  a  family,  not 
a  cottage  remains.  Some  of 
the  ruins  Le  Bruyn  says  are 
yet  visible  on  the  banks  of  the 
Nile.  Maiilet  says,  that  pro- 
digious ruins,  yetjpresent  them- 
selves to  prove  the  greatness  of 


the  city.  He  supposes  that 
apart  of  the  city  is  now  cover- 
ed by  a  lake,  and  once  when 
the  water  was  remarkably  low, 
he  says,  he  discovered  a  kind  of 
a  city  at  the  bottom,  which  ex- 
cited the  admiration  of  everyone. 

Noph,  or  Memphis,  was 
celebrated  for  the  pyramids, 
the  only  remaining  one  of  the 
seven  wonders  of  the  worldo 
This  city  stood  above  the  Del- 
ta. Apis,  kept  in  the  figure 
of  a  ball,  was  worshipped  in 
this  city,  Ezek.  xxx,  13.  The 
pyramids  rise  in  a  sandy  plain; 
three  are  more  distinguished, 
than  the  rest,  for  their  enor- 
mous bulk,  and  are  called 
Pharaoh's  mountains.  Of  these 
three,  two  are  closed,  but  the 
largest  is  open;  travellers  en- 
ter it  and  ascend  to  the  top. 

Saith  Mr.  Norden,  "the  two 
most  northerly  pyramids  are 
the  greatest;  and  have  live 
hundred  feet  perpendicular 
height;  two  others  are  much 
less.  These  four,  stand  near- 
ly on  a  line,  about  four  hun- 
dred paces  distant  from  each 
other."  These  pyramids  are 
raised  on  a  rock,  which  is  ele- 
vated about  eighty  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  surrounding 
country.  The  top  of  the  rock 
was  smoothed  with  some  tool 
to  form  a  proper  base  for  the 
amazing  structure  which  it 
was   to  support.     The  ext 


NOP 


NOP 


rial  part  of  the  pyramid  is 
built  chiefly  of  great  square 
stones  cut  from  the  rocks  along 
the  Nile,  and  where  at  this  day 
may  be  seen  the  caves,  whence 
they  were  taken.  The  size  of 
the  stones  are  not  equal.  The 
number  of  stones,  which  form 
so  many  steps  by  the  retreat- 
ing manner  in  which  they  are 
laid,  are  two  hundred  eight  or 
ten.  The  external  layers  are 
compacted  only  by  the  weight 
of  the  stones  without  lime, 
lead,  or  cramps  of  iron.  But 
as  to  the  body,  or  inside,  of 
the  pyramid,  it  is  full  of  irreg- 
ular stones,  with  mortar,  lime, 
earth,  and  clay.  In  the  central 
part  of  the  pyramid  is  found  a 
sarcophagus  of  granite,  in  the 
form  of  a  parallelopiped  with- 
out any  ornaments.  When 
struck,  it  sounds  like  a  bell. 
The  base  of  the  pyramid,  ac- 
cording to  some  travellers,  cov- 
ers eleven  acres  of  ground. 
What  an  immense  labor  to 
rear  such  a  number  of  stupen- 
dous structures.  Various 
have  been  the  opinions  of  the 
learned  respecting  the  design 
of  the  pyramids.  Some  have 
supposed  them  royal  sepul- 
chres, and  a  supposed  coffin 
of  stone,  found  in  one  of  them 
has  tended  to  confirm  this 
opinion.  Le  Bruyn  says,  they 
buried  their  dead  where  the 
pyramids  stand.  The  Brah- 
.    .37 


mins  of  India,  however,  do  not 
suppose  that  pyramids  are  re- 
positories for  the  dead.  At 
Benares  are  several  pyramids, 
on  a  small  scale,  compared 
with  those  of  Egypt,  with  sub- 
terraneous passages  under 
them,  which  are  said  to  extend 
several  miles.  The  pyramids 
are  doubtless  places  of  relig- 
ious worship.  The  very  nar- 
row passage  leading  into  the 
great  pyramid  of  Egypt,  was 
designed  to  render  the  holy 
apartment  less  accessible,  and 
to  inspire  the  worshippers 
with  more  solemn  awe.  When 
the  Egyptian  pyramids  were 
described  to  several  very  learn- 
ed Brahmins  they  did  not  hes- 
itate to  declare  that  they  were 
places  of  worship ,  or  designed 
for  temples.  They  inquired, 
if  they  had  not  acommunication 
under  ground  with  the  river, 
and  when  informed  that  a  well 
of  water  was  now  to  be  seen, 
they  unanimously  agreed  that 
it  was  a  temple  devoted  to  the 
worship  of  Padma-devi,  and 
that  the  supposed  sarcophagus, 
or  coffin,  was  a  trough,  which 
on  certain  festivals  the  priests 
filled  with  sacred  water  and 
lotos  flowers.  Their  design 
seems  to  be  the  same  as  the 
tower  of  Babel.  The  build- 
ers there  proposed  a  tower, 
whose  top  should  be  "sacred 
to  the  heavens."     The  Egyp- 


NOP 


NOP 


tian  pyramids  were  intended  for 
the  same  object,  and  were  imi- 
tations of  that  erected  on  the 
plains  of  Shinar. 

Till  lately,  as  far  as  I  know, 
these  vast  piles  have  been 
viewed  merely  as  objects  of  cu- 
riosity and  admiration;  but  they 
may  now  be  contemplated  in 
another,  and  infinitely  more  in- 
teresting light;  they  are  un- 
doubtedly everlasting  monu- 
ments to  prove  the  truth  of  a 
certain  portion  of  scripture 
history.  A  few  moments  at- 
tention to  this  fact,  it  is  pre- 
sumed, may  be  pleasant  to  the 
Christian  Reader.  If  it  be  re- 
ported of  any  prince  or  sove- 
reign, that  he  has  employed 
more  than  half  a  million  slaves, 
in  a  particular  work,  should  the 
narrator  at  the  same  time  point 
to  some  immense  structures, 
which  have  no  parallel  in  the 
world,  would  not  this  strength- 
en and  confirm  his  testimony? 
These  pyramids  were  doubt- 
less a  part  of  the  labors  per- 
formed by  the  Israelites,  dur- 
ing their  bondage  in  Egypt,  six 
hundred  thousand  men,  more 
than  twenty  years  of  age  were 
employed  in  cruel  bondage; 
and  here  are  the  monuments 
of  their  toils.  1st.  The  accor- 
dance between  their  known 
employment  and  these  works, 
shows,  who  probably  were  the 
builders.   The  Bible  expressly 


informs  us,  that  the  Israelites, 
were  employed  in  making 
brick,  that  sort  of  brick,  which 
required  straw  in  the  compo- 
sition, Exod.  i,  14;  "they  la- 
bored in  brick  and  in  mortar," 
and  v,  7,  "Ye  shall  no  more 
give  the  people  straw  to  make 
brick."  Accordingly  it  appears 
from  various  travellers,  that  the 
internal  construction,  of  these 
mighty  masses,  consists,  among 
other  materials,  of  bricks  of 
this  very  description.  This  is 
true  of  the  great  pyramid, 
though  the  outside  has  a  coat 
of  stone,  but  the  pyramids  of 
Sakkara  are  composed  wholly 
of  these  bricks.  Thus  the 
labor  performed  by  Israel,  and 
the  work  presented  in  the  pyr- 
amids, are  precisely  the  same. 
2.  The  multitude,  when  in 
the  wilderness  lament  their 
want  of  "the  cucumbers,  the 
melons,  the  leeks,  the  onions, 
the  garlick,  which  they  eat 
freely,  or  gratis,  in  the  land  of 
Egyyt,"  Numb,  xi,  15.  Ac- 
cordingly, Herodotus,  after 
mentioning  with  admiration 
the  expense  of  their  cloathing 
and  food,  says  that  on  the  pyra- 
mid was  an  inscription,  expres- 
sing the  expense  of  the  differ- 
ent articles,  which  were  the 
favorites  of  the  people,  and 
says  "that  the  radishes,  [prob- 
ably the  leeks]  the  onions,  and 
garlick,     consumed     by     the 


NOP 


NOP 


builders  of  the  pyramids,  cost 
1,600  talents  of  silver.  No 
doubt  these  roots  and  vege- 
tables were  cheap  in  that  fruit- 
ful country,  and  this  expense 
implies  that  there  must  have 
been  a  prodigious  number  of 
workmen,  employed  for  a  long 
time. 

3.  As  to  the  number  of  per- 
sons employed  in  the  erection 
of  these  piles,  Diodorus  Sicu- 
lus  says,  that  360,000  men 
were  employed  twenty  years  in 
constructing  the  pyramid  of 
Chemnis.  Herodotus  says  that 
100,000  were  employed  in 
bringing  stones,  10,000  at  a 
time,  who  relieved  each  Other 
every  three  months.  I  sup- 
pose, therefore,  that  the  num- 
ber given  by  Diodorus  includes 
the  whole  population  employed 
in  all  the  departmentsof that  pyr- 
amid,while  the  number  given  by 
Herodotus  is  that  employed  in 
a  specific  department;  but  that 
all  were  "relieved  every  three 
months."  Is  there  any  im- 
probability in  supposing  that 
the  Israelites  were  relieved  ev- 
ery three  months?  Exod.  iv,27. 
We  find  that  the  mother  of  Mo- 
ses was  not  able  to  conceal  the 
child  more  than  three  months. 
Aaron  was  also  allowed  to  go 
and  meet  Moses  at  mount  Ho-r 
reb,  which  according  to  Dr. 
$haw  must  have  taken  two 
months,  which,  had  he   been 


kept  to  labor  without  any  inter, 
mission,  would  have  been  im- 
possible. Indeed  we  are  in- 
formed by  Moses  himself  that 
"the  people  labored  in  brick 
and  in  mortar,  and  in  all  manner 
of  service  in  the  field"  Per- 
haps, the  people  were  unable 
to  endure  constant  labor  in  "the 
cruel  bondage"  of  these  public 
works.  Perhaps,  like  the 
slaves  in  the  American  islands, 
they  were  allowed  part  of  their 
time  to  raise  provisions  to  sup- 
port their  families,  and  the 
builders  of  the  pyramids.  We 
know  in  fact,  that  the  people 
had  flocks  and  herds.  Not  a 
"hoof"  was  left  behind;  there 
was  a  pascal  lamb  for  every 
family.  Hence  it  is  evident 
that  the  people  of  Israel,  like 
the  builders  of  the  pyramids, 
had  intervals  of  time  in  which 
they  were  allowed  to  pay  atten- 
tion to  their  own  business  and 
property;  no  inconsiderable  ev- 
idence is  this,  that  they  were 
the  same  people. 

From  the  customs  of  the 
East,  and  several  other  circum- 
stances, it  is  very  likely  the  na- 
tive Egyptians  would  not  be 
employed  on  these  structures,. 
History  assures  us,  this  was  the 
custom  of  Sesostris,  who  caus- 
ed it  to  be  engraven  on  his 
great  works.  "No  Egyptian 
had  any  hand  in  this  structure."*' 
This  Sesostris.,   according    u 


NOP 


NOP 


IVIr.  Whiston,  was  the  Pharaoh, 
who  refused  to  let  the  Israel- 
ites go  from  his  service.  If 
strangers  were  employed,  who 
would  be  more  likely  to  be 
these  strangers,  than  the  Isra- 
elites, who  at  this  time  had  be- 
come formidable  to  the  govern- 
ment, and  whom  to  crush,  they 
adopted  the  most  abominable 
measures,  even  the  murder  of 
their  sons.  This  same  custom 
of  employing  foreigners  was 
afterwards  adopted  by  Solo- 
mon, 1  Kings,  ix,  17,  "Solo- 
mon built,  &c. — of  the  Amor- 
ites,  Perezites,  Hivites,  &c. 
who  were  not  of  the  children  of 
Israel  did  Solomon  levy  a  tri- 
bute of  bond  service;  but  of  the 
children  of  Israel,  did  Solomon 
make  no  bondmen,  but  they 
were  men  of  war." 

5.  It  is  matter  of  notoriety, 
to  those  acquainted  with  orien- 
tal countries,  that  in  building, 
it  is  customary  to  employ  bond- 
men. We  have  only,  then  to 
inquire  whether  the  Israelites 
were  bondmen  in  Egypt,  to  find 
another  strong  argument,  that 
they  reared  those  astonishing 
structures  in  that  country, 
which  still  remain  theAvonder 
of  the  world.  The  readers  of 
this  book  are  too  well  acquaint- 
ed with  the  history  of  Israel  to 
allow  the  author  to  adduce  any 
proof,  that  they  "were  bond- 
men in   Egypt,"   that   Egypt 


was  to  them  a  house  of  "bon- 
dage." To  this  we  may  add 
the  positive  testimony  of  Jose- 
phus,  "that  Israel  was  employ- 
ed on  the  pyramids.''  The 
last  great  pyramid  was  never 
finished.  Might  not  this  be 
expected,  considering  the  con- 
fusion and  distress,  which  must 
follow  the  death  of  the  first 
born,  and  the  death  of  Pharaoh 
and  his  host  in  the  Red  Sea? 
Indeed  how  could  it  be  com- 
pleted, the  builders  were  gone 
to  Canaan. 

6.  Another  circumstance  to 
confirm  the  opinion  which  I 
have  adopted  is,  that  tne  time 
in  which  these  structures  were 
raised  corresponds  with  the 
period  in  which  the  Israelites 
were  held  in  slavery.  It  is 
supposed  this  people  were  in 
Egypt  215  years,  of  which  Jo- 
seph ruled  70,  nor  was  it  till  a 
long  time  after,  that  the  new 
king  arose,  "who  knew  not  Jo- 
seph." Forty  years  may  be 
allowed  for  the  generation 
which  succeeded  Joseph,  and 
would  still  retain  a  grateful 
sense  of  his  useful  services; 
this  leaves  105  years  for  the 
period  of  their  degradation. 
Now  in  conformity  with  this, 
Herodotus  tells  us,  that  for  50 
years  Rampsinitus  oppressed 
the  people,  barred  the  avenues 
to  the  temples,  and  forbid  the 
Egyptians   to   offer  sacrifices, 


NOP 


OL1 


that  he  made  them  labor  ser- 
vilely for  himself  by  building 
the  pyramids;  his  brother  suc- 
ceeded him,  and  ruled  with  the 
same  spirit  for  56  years.  Is  not 
here  further  evidence?  For 
105  or  6  years  this  people  were 
subjected  to  every  species  of 
oppression.  So  detestable 
were  these  tyrants  to  the 
Egyptians  themselves,  that  they 
were  not  willing  to  mention 
their  names.  Hence  they  call 
their  pyramids  by  the  name  of 
the  shepherd  Philitis,  who  at 
that  time  fed  his  cattle  in  those 
places.  They  ascribe  the  work 
to  a  shepherd  or  shepherds, 
who  came  from  Philistia,  where 
Jacob  was  before  he  came  into 
Egypt.  They  also  say  "that 
the  first  was  built  by  Ar- 
moeus,  or  Aramoeus,  "the 
Syrian;"  the  second  by  Am- 
mosis;  the  third  by  Inaron." 
This  coincidence  of  names  will 
appear  complete,  if  we  look  at 
the  words  without  their  pre- 
fixes, a  Mosis.  In  Hebrew  his 
name  was  hy  Mouseh,  in  Avon, 
his  Aaron.  All  this  supports 
our  supposition,  that  the  Isra- 
elites built  the  pyramids.  Un- 
der the  first  name,  the  Syrian 
or  Aramean  is  the  very  title 
given  to  Jacob,  Deut.  xxvi,  5. 
"A  Syrian,  ready  to  perish  was 
thy  father,  and  he  went  down 
into  Egypt." — Then  follow  the 
names  of  the  two  chief  leaders 


of  the  people,  Moses  and  Aaron. 
Other  evidence  might  be  ad- 
duced from  learned  writers,  but 
I  trust  this  will  satisfy  the  at- 
tentive reader,  and  afford  new 
evidence  to  establish  his  faith 
in  revelation.  See  Asiatic  Re- 
searches. 

NOPHAH,  a  city  of  the 
Moabites,  which  afterwards  be- 
longed to  the  Ammorites,  and 
lastly  to  the  Israelites,  Numb, 
xxi    50. 

NOPHET,  a  city  of  Ma- 
nasseh,  Josh.  xvii.  Lat.  32,  28. 

OBOTH,  an  encampment 
of  the  Hebrews  in  the  wilder- 
ness. From  Punon  they  went 
to  Oboth,  and  from  Oboth  to 
Je-abarim,  Numb,  xxi,  10; 
xxxiii,  43.  Ptolemy  speaks  of 
a  city  called  Obodu,  or  Ebo- 
da,  in  Arabia  Petrea,  which  is 
the  same  as  Oboth.  Pliny, 
and  the  geographer  Stephanus, 
also  mention  it.  Stephanus 
makes  it  belong  to  the  Na- 
bathaeans,  and  Pliny  to  the 
Helmodeans,  a  people  of  Ara- 
bia. It  was  at  Oboth  that  they 
worshipped  the  god  Obodos, 
which  Tertullian  joins  with 
Dusares,  another  god  or  king 
of  this  country.       Lat.  30,  25. 

OLIVES,  mount  of.  The 
mount  of  Olives  was  situated 
to  the  east  of  Jerusalem,  and 
parted  from  the  city  only  by 
the  brook  Kidron,  and  bv  the 
valley   of  Jehoshaphat,    which 


on 


OLI 


stretches  out  from  the  north  to 
the  south.  It  was  upon  this 
mount  that  Solomon  built  tem- 
ples to  the  god  of  the  Ammon- 
ites, 1  Kings,  xi,  7,  and  of  the 
Moabites,  out  of  complaisance 
to  his  wives,  who  were  natives 
of  these  nations.  Hence  it  is 
that  the  mount  of  Olives,  is 
called  the  mountain  of  cor- 
ruption, 2  Kings  xxiii,  13. 
Josephus  says,  that  this  moun- 
tain is  at  the  distance  of  five 
stadia  (or  furlongs)  from  Jeru- 
salem, which  makes  625  geo- 
metrical paces;  or  the  length 
of  a  sabbath  day's  journey, 
says  Stv  Luke,  Acts  i,  12.  The 
mount  of  Olives  had  three  sum- 
mits, or  was  composed  of  three 
several  hills  ranged  one  after 
another  from  north  to  south. 
The  middle  summit  is  that 
from  whence  our  Savior  as- 
cended into  heaven.  It  was 
upon  that  towards  the  south, 
that  Solomon  built  temples  to 
his  idols.  The  summit,  which 
is  most  to  the  north,  is  distant 
two  furlongs  from  the  middle- 
most. This  is  the  highest  of 
the  three,  and  is  commonly 
called  Gallilee. 

In  the  time  of  king  Uzziah, 
the  mount  of  Olives  was  so 
shattered  by  an  earthquake, 
that  half  of  the  earth  that  was 
on  the  western  side  fell  down 
and  rolled  four  furlongs,  or  five 
hundred   paces   from    thence, 


towards  the  mountain,  which 
was  opposite  to  it  on  the  east; 
so  that  the  earth  blocked  up 
the  highways,  and  covered  the 
king's  garden. 

Mr.  Maundrel  tells  us,  that 
he  and  his  company  going  out 
of  Jerusalem  at  St.  Stephen's 
gate,  and  crossing  the  valley  of 
Jehoshaphat,  began  immediate- 
ly to  ascend  the  mountain;  that 
being  got  above  two  thirds  of 
the  way  up,  they  came  to  cer- 
tain grottos,  cut  with  intricate 
windings,  and  caverns  under 
ground,  which  were  called  the 
sepulchres  of  the  prophets;  that 
a  little  higher  up  were  twelve 
arched  vaults  standing  side  by 
side,  and  built  in  memory  of 
the  apostles,  who  are  said  to 
have  compiled  their  creed  in 
this  place.  That  sixty  paces 
higher,  they  came  to  the  place, 
where  Christ  is  said  to  have 
uttered  his  prophecy  concern- 
ing the  final  destruction  of  Je- 
rusalem; and  a  little  on  the 
right  hand,  to  another,  where 
he  is  said  to  have  dictated  a 
second  time  the  Lord's  prayer 
to  his  disciples;  that  somewhat 
higher  is  the  cave  of  a  saint, 
called  Pelugia,  a  little  above 
that  a  pillar,  denoting  the  place, 
where  an  angel  gave  the  blessed 
virgin  three  days  warning  of 
her  death;  and  at  the  top,  the 
place  of  our  blessed  Lord's  as- 
cension.    The  same  traveller; 


OLf 


OPIf 


also  informs  us,  that  he  visited 
Bethany,  now  a  small  village, 
where  was  the  house  of  Laza- 
rus, Martha  and  Mary,  to  which 
Jesus  used  to  retire  at  night, 
after  the  duties  of  the  day  in 
Jerusalem,  to  escape  from  the 
stratagems  of  the  Jews.  At  the 
entrance  of  the  village  is  now 
an  old  ruin,  wliich  they  call  the 
castle  oi'  Lazarus,  supposed  to 
have  been  the  mansion  house 
of  that  friend  to  Jesus  Christ. 
At  the  bottom  of  a  smali  de- 
scent, not  far  from  the  castle,  is 
shown  the  sepulchre,  out  of 
which  the  good  man  was  rais- 
ed by  that  enlivening  voice, 
"Lazarus  come  forth."  You 
descend  into  the  sepulchre  by 
twenty-five  steps,  at  the  bottom 
of  which  you  are  in  a  small 
square  room;  thence  you  creep 
down  into  a  smaller  room,  a 
yard  and  half  deeper,  in  which 
it  is  said  the  body  was  laid. 
This  place  is  held  in  great  ven- 
eration by  the  Turks,  who  use 
it  for  a  place  of  prayer,  and  de- 
mand a  tax  for  the  admission 
of  Christians.  A  bow  shot 
thence,  you  pass  the  spot  where 
was  the  house  of  Mary  Mag- 
dalene, and  thence  down  a  steep 
hill  you  come  to  the  Fountain 
of  the  apostles,  so  called,  be- 
cause here  they  used  to  refresh 
themselves  in  their  journey  be- 
tween Jericho  and  Jerusalem, 
than    which   nothing   can    be 


more  probable,  as  the  weii  is 
close  by  the  side  of  the  road, 
and  very  inviting  to  a  thirsty 
traveller. 

ON,  a  city  of  Egypt  men- 
tioned in  the  Hebrew.  See 
Hcliopolis.  The  father  in  law 
of  Joseph  was  priest  of  this 
city.  Its  situation  has  been 
discovered,  about  six  miles 
from  Cairo;  but  nothing  re- 
mains, excepting  great  banks 
and  hillocks,  filled  with  little 
bits  of  marble,  granite,  and  pot- 
sherds, some  remains  of  a 
sphinx,  and  an  obelisk,  which 
is  still  standing,  and  which  the 
new  inhabitants,  perhaps,  found 
too  heavy  to  be  removed. 

Niebuhr. 

ONO,  a  city  of  Benjamin, 
Ezra  ii,  3,  &c.        Lat.  31,  31. 

Ono,  plain  of  a  valley  of 
Canaan,  near  the  city  of  the 
same  name.  Nehemiah  vi,  2. 
OPHIR  ,  a  country  much 
celebrated  in  scripture,  and 
about  which  the  learned  have 
proposed  a  great  number  of 
conjectures.  It  is  agreed  with 
great  reason,  that  this  is  the 
country,  that  was  peopled  by 
Ophir,  the  son  of  Joktan.  Mo- 
ses lets  us  know,  that  the  thir- 
teen sons  of  Joktan  dwelt  from 
Mesha  to  Sephar,  a  mountain 
of  the  east,  Gen.'  xiii,  30.  But 
as  Mesha  and  Sephar  are  pla- 
ces, as  much  unknown,  as 
Ophir  itself,  there  was  a  ne~" 


OPH 


OPH 


gessity,  of  taking  another 
method  to  discover  the  coun- 
try of  Ophir.  All  the  passa- 
ges have  been  examined  in 
which  mention  is  made  of  this 
country,  and  it  has  been  ob- 
served, that  the  same  ships 
that  went  to  Tarshish,  went 
also  to  Ophir;  compare  1 
Kings  xxii,  48-  with  2  Chron. 
xx,  36.  and  1  Kings  ix,  28; 
and  x,  22,  that  these  ships  set 
out  from  Ezton-Geber,  a  port 
of  the  Red  Sea,  that  three 
years  were  required  for  Solo- 
mon's fleet  to  make  the  voy- 
age to  Ophir;  that  this  fleet 
returned  freighted  with  gold, 
peacocks,  apes,  spices,  ivory, 
and  ebony;  2  Chron.  viii,  18, 
and  ix,  10,  &c.  lastly,  that  the 
gold  of  Ophir,  was  in  more 
esteem,  than  any  other  gold 
mentioned  in  scripture,  and 
that  the  country  of  Ophir  more 
abounded  with  gold,  than  any 
other,  that  was  the  i  known. 
By  these  tokens  search  has 
been  made  for  Ophir;  but  al- 
most all  the  interpreters  have 
taken  different  ways. 

Josephus  says,  that  the  coun- 
try of  Ophir  is  in  the  bidwsy 
and  that  it  is  called  the  gold 
country.  It  is  thought  he 
means  Cheraonesus  Aurea, 
known  now  by  the  name  of 
Malacca.  Lucas  Holstonius, 
thinks  we  must  fix  upon  India 
in  general,  or  at  the  city  of 
Supar,  in  the  island  of  Cele- 


bos.  Others  place  it  in  the 
kingdom  of  Malabar,  or  of 
Ceylon,  or  in  the  isle  of  Tapo- 
brana.  Bochart,  has  labored 
to  support  this  opinion.  Epol- 
emus  has  placed  Ophir  in  the 
island  Durphe,  in  the  Red  Sea. 
Maffeus,  believes  it  was  Pegu, 
and  it  is  said  the  Peguans  pre- 
tend to  be  descended  from 
those  Jews,  that  Solomon  set 
to  work  in  the  mines  of  this 
country.  Lepenius,  who  has 
composed  a  particular  treatise, 
concerning  the  country  of  O- 
phir,  places  it  beyond  the 
Ganges,  at  Malacca,  Java,  Su- 
matra, Siam,  Bengal,  Pegu, 
&c.  Others  have  sought  for 
the  country  of  Ophir  in  Amer- 
ica, and  have  placed  it  in  the 
island  of  Hispaniola.  Postel 
and  some  others  have  placed  it 
in  Peru.  Others  have  searched 
for  it  in  Africa,  on  the  eastern 
coast  of  Ethiopia;  while  others 
place  it  at  Angola,  others  at 
Carthage,  and  others  in  Spain. 
F.  Calmet  is  no  less  singular 
in  his  opinion:  he  places  Ophir 
somewhere  in  Armenia,  not  far 
from  the  source  of  the  Tigris 
and  Euphrates,  and  to  obviate 
the  objection  of  the  country's 
not  bordering  on  the  sea,  and 
not  being  at  distance  enough 
for  a  three  years  voyage;  he 
supposes,  that  Solomon's  fleet 
made  a  trading  voyage;  and 
that  in  no  one  place  if  met  with 
all  the  commodities  it  brought 


OPII 


OPH 


home;  but  on  the  const 
of  Ethiopia  took  in  apes,  eb- 
ony, and  parrots;  in  Arabia 
ivorv  and  spices;  and  at  Ophir 
gold.  And  though  this  Ophir 
might  be  no  maritime  country, 
yet  this  hinders  not,  says  he, 
why  the  gold  produced,  might 
not  be  brought  by  land  car- 
riage, to  some  part  of  the  Ti- 
gris and  Euphrates,  which  at 
that  time  were  a  great  way 
navigable.  Grotius  as  well  as 
Calmet  is  of  opinion  that  Sol- 
omon did  not  send  his  fleet  to 
any  part,  either  of  the  east  or 
west  Indies;  but  only  to  a  part 
of  Arabia,  situate  on  the  main 
ocean,  and  that  the  Indians 
brought  down  their  merchan- 
dize thither,  to  be  bought  by 
Solomon's  factors,  and  shipped 
on  board  the  fleet.  Before  the 
reign  of  David,  the  Hebrews 
did  not  apply  themselves  to 
maritime  affairs.  But  when 
that  prince  made  a  conquest  of 
Idumea  and  became  master  of 
two  sea-port  towns,  Elath  and 
Ezion-geber,  he  took  the  ben- 
efit of  the  situations  of  these 
two  places,  and  there  began 
this  traffic.  Solomon's  suc- 
cessors, who  were  possessed  of 
Idumea,  still  carried  on  the 
trade  to  Ophir,  and  made  use 
of  Ezicn-geber  down  to  the 
time  of  Jchoshaphat.  Most  of 
these  opinions  are-  too  incon- 
clusive, at  first  sight,  to  merit 
38 


any  discussion.  But,  though 
the  compiler  of  this  work  pre- 
sumes not  to  decide  the  con- 
troversy, yet  as  it  is  often  a 
matter  of  curious  inquiry  in 
the  most  respectable  circles, 
where  was  the  Ophir  of  Solo- 
mon, it  may  not  be  unpleasant 
to  the  reader  to  spend  a  few 
minutes  on  the  subject.  An 
epitome  of  the  discussions  of 
the  celebrated  Abyssinian  trav- 
eller, and  Dr.  Doeg  follow. 

Mr.  Bruce  very  justly  ob- 
serves, that  in  order  to  come 
to  a  certainty  where  this  Ophir 
was,  it  will  be  necessary  to  ex- 
amine what  scripture  says  of 
it,  and  to  keep  precisely  to  every 
thing  like  description,  which 
we  can  find  there,  without  in- 
dulging our  fancy.  1st.  The 
trade  of  Ophir  was  carried  on 
from  the  Elanitic  gulf,  through 
the  Indian  ocean.  2d.  There- 
turns  were  gold,  silver,  and  ivo- 
ry, but  especially  silver,  lKings 
x,  22.  3d.  The  time  of  the 
going  and  coming  of  the  fleet 
was  precisely  three  years,  at  no 
period  more  or  less,  1  Kings 
x,  22;  2  Chr.  xi,  21. 

Now  if  Solomon's  fleet  sailed 
from  the  Elanitic  gulf  to  the 
Indian  ocean,  this  of  necessity 
must  have  been  made  by  mon- 
soons, for  no  other  winds  reign 
in  that  ocean.  What  certainly 
shows  this  was  the  case,  is  the 
precise  time  of  three  years,  in 


GPH 


OPH 


which  the  fleet  went  and  came 
between  Ophir  and  Ezion- 
geber. 

These  mines  of  Ophir  were 
probably  what  furnished  the 
East  with  gold  in  the  earliest 
times;  great  traces  of  excava- 
tion must  therefore  have  ap- 
peared. But  John  Dos  Santos 
says,  that  he  landed  at  Sofala  in 
the  year  1586;  that  he  sailed 
up  the  great  river  Cuama,  as 
far  as  Tete,  where,  always  de- 
sirous to  be  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  gold,  his  order  had 
placed  their  convent.  Thence 
he  penetrated  far  above  200 
leagues  into  the  country,  and 
saw  the  gold  mines,  then  work- 
big  at  a  mountain  called  Asura. 
At  a  considerable  distance  from 
these  are  the  silver  mines  of 
Chicoua,  at  both  places  there  is 
a  great  appearance  of  ancient 
excavations;  and  at  both  places 
the  houses  of  the  kings  are  built 
of  mud  and  straw,  whilst  there 
are  large  remains  of  massy 
buildings  of  stone  and  lime. 

Every  thing,  then,  conspires 
to  fix  the  Ophir  of  Solomon, 
in  the  kingdom  of  Sofala,  pro- 
vided it  would  necessarily  re- 
quire neither  more  nor  less, 
than  three  years  to  make  a  voy- 
age from  Ezion-s:eber  to  that 
place  and/rarshish,  andhreturn. 
To  establish  this  important  fact, 
our  author  observes,  that  the 
fleet  or  ship  for  Sofala,  parting 


in  June  from  Ezion-geber,  (sec 
Ezion-geber)  would  run  down 
before  the  northern  monsoon  to 
Mocha.  Here,  not  the  mon- 
soon, but  the  direction  of  the 
gulf  changes;  and  the  violence 
of  the  south-westers,  which  then 
reign  in  the  Indian  ocean, 
make  them  at  times  felt  even 
in  Mocha  roads.  The  vessel, 
therefore,  comes  to  an  anchor 
in  the  harbor  of  Mocha;  and 
here  she  waits  for  moderate 
weather  and  a  fair  wind,  which 
carries  her  out  of  the  straits  of 
Babelmandel,  through  the  few 
leagues  where  the  wind  is  vari- 
able. 

Her  course  from  this  is  near- 
ly south-west,  and  she  meets  at 
cape  Gardefan  a  strong  south- 
wester,  that  blows  directly  in 
her  teeth.  Being  obliged  to 
return  into  the  gulf,  she  mis- 
takes this  for  a  trade  wind,  be- 
cause she  is  not  able  to  make 
her  voyage  to  Mocha,  but  by 
the  summer  monsoon,  which 
carries  her  no  farther  than  the 
straits  of  Babelmandel,  and  then 
leavesjher  in  the  face  of  a  contra- 
ry wind,  a  strong  current  to  the 
northward,  and  a  violent  swell. 

The  attempting  this  voyage 
with  sails,  in  these  circumstan- 
ces, was  absolutely  impossible, 
as  their  vessels  went  only  before 
the  wind:  if  it  was  performed  at 
all,  it  must  have  been  by  oars: 
and  great   havoc   and    loss  of 


OPH 


OPH 


men  must  have  been  the  conse- 
quence of  the  severe  trials.  At 
last  philosophy  and  observation, 
together  with  the  unwearied 
perseverance  of  man,  bent  upon 
his  own  views  and  interescs, 
removed  these  difficulties,  and 
showed  the  mariners  of  the 
Arabian  gulf,  that  these  period- 
ical winds,  which  in  the  be- 
ginning, they  looked  upon  as 
invincible  barriers  to  the  trad- 
ing of  Sofala,  when  once  un- 
derstood, were  the  very  means 
of  performing  this  voyage,  safe- 
ly and  expeditiously. 

The  vessel  trading  to  Sofala 
sailed  from  the  bottom  of  the 
Arabian  gulf  in  summer,   with 
the  monsoon  at   north,  which 
oarried  her  to  Mocha.     There 
the  monsoon  failed  her  by  the 
change  of  the  direction  of  the 
gulf.     The  south-west  winds, 
which  blow  from  cape  Garde- 
fan  in  the  Indian  ocean,  forced 
themselves  round  the  cape,  so 
as  to  be  felt  in  the  road  of  Mo- 
cha, and  made  it  uneasy  riding 
there.  But  these  soon  changed, 
the  weather  became  moderate, 
and  the  vessel,   we  suppose,  in 
the  month  of  August,  was  safe 
at  anchor  under  cape  Gardefan, 
where  was  the  port,  which  many 
years  after  was  called  Promon- 
torium  Aromatum.      Here  the 
ship  was  obliged  to  stay  till  No- 
vember, because  all  these  sum- 
mer months,  the  wind  south  of 


tlie  Cape  was  a  strong  south- 
wester,  as  hath  been  before  said, 
directly  in  the  teeth  of  the  voy- 
age to  Sofala.     But   this  time 
was  not  lost.    Part  of  the  goods 
bought  to  be  ready  for  the  re- 
turn was  ivory,   frankincense, 
and  myrrh;  and  the   ship  was 
then  at  aprincipal  mart  for  these. 
Our  author  supposes,  that  in 
November  the  vessel  sailed  with 
the    wind   at   north-east,  with 
which  she  would    soon    have 
made  her  voyage:  but  off  the 
coast  of  Melinda,  in  the  begin- 
ning of  December,    she  there 
met  an  anomalous  monsoon  at 
south-west,  in  our  clays  first  ob- 
served by  Dr.  Halley,  which  cut 
off  her  voyage  to  Sofala,  and 
obliged  her  to  put  into  the  small 
harbor  of  Mocha,  near  Melinda, 
but  nearer  still    to    Tarshish, 
which  we  find  here  by  accident, 
and  which  we    think  a  strong 
corroboration,  that  we  are  right 
as    to   the   rest  of  the  voyage. 
In  the  annals  of  Abyssinia,  it  is 
said    that  Amda    Sion   making 
war  upon  that  coast  in  the  14th 
century,  in  a  list  of  the  rebel- 
lious Moorish  vassals,  mentions 
the  chief  of  Tarshish,  as  one  of 
them,    in    the  very    situation, 
where  we  have  now  placed  him. 
Solomon's  vessel,  then,   was 
obliged  to  stay  at  Tarshish,  till 
the  month  of  April,  in  the  sec- 
ond year.     In   May,  the  wind 
set  in  at  north-east,  and  pro' 


OPH 


OPH 


bly  carried  her  that  same  month 
to  Sofala.  All  the  time  she  spent 
at   Tarshish   was  not  lost,  for 
part   of  her   cargo    was  to  be 
brought   from  that  place;  and 
she  probably  bought,  bespoke, 
or  left  it  there.     From  May  of 
the  second  year,  to  the  end  of 
that  monsoon  in  October,  the 
vessel  could   not  stir;  the  wind 
was  north-east.    But  this  time, 
far  from  being  lost,  was  neces- 
sary to  the  traders  for  getting 
in  their   cargo,  which  we  will 
suppose   was    ready  for  them. 
The  ship  sails,  on  her  return, 
in  the  month  of  November  of 
the  second  year,  with  the  mon- 
soon  south-west,    which    in   a 
very  few  weeks,    would  have 
carried    her    into  the   Arabian 
gulf.  But  off  Mocha,  near  Me- 
linda  and  Tarshish,  she  met  the 
north-east   monsoon,  and   was 
obliged  to  go  into  that  port  and 
stay  there,    till  the  end  of  that 
monsoon;  after  which  a  south- 
wester   came  to    her   relief   in 
May  of  the  third  year.     With 
the  May  monsoon   she  ran  to 
Mocha  within  the  straits;    and 
was  there  confined  by  the  sum- 
mer  monsoon  blowing  up  the 
Arabian  gulf  from   Suez,  arid 
meeting  her.     Here  she  lay  till 
that  monsoon,  which  in  summer 
blows   ncr.herly    from    Suez, 
changed  to  a  south-east  one,  in 
October  or  November,  and  that 
very  easily  brought  her  up  into 
the  Elanitic  gulf,  the  middle  or 


end  of  December  of  the  third 
year.  She  had  no  need  of  more 
time  to  complete  her  voyage, 
and  it  was  not  possible  she 
could  do  it  in  less. 

Such  is  a  very  short  and  im- 
perfect abstract  of  our  author's 
reasoning.    We  are  now  to  give 
another    ingenious    conjecture 
concerning  the  situation  of  O- 
phir,  by  Dr.  Doeg,  "The  first 
time,"  says  he,  "that  Ophir,  or 
rather  Aujir,    occurs  in  scrip- 
ture, is  in  Gen.  x,    29,   where 
the  sacred  historian,  enumer- 
ating the  sons  of  Joktan,  men- 
tions Aiifir,  as  one  of  them." 
According  to  his  account,  the 
descendants  of  the  13  brothers, 
settled  all  in  a  contiguous  sit- 
uation from  Mesha,    (the  Mo- 
cha of  the  moderns)  to  Sephara 
a  mountain  of  the  East.     Mo- 
ses, as  everyone  knows, denom- 
inates countries  and  the  inhabit- 
ants of  countries,  from  the  pa- 
triarch from  whom  these  inhab- 
itants descended.     In  describ- 
ing the  course  of  one   of  the 
branches  of  the  river  of  Paradise, 
the  same  Moses  informs  us  that 
it  encompassed  the  whole  land 
of  Havilah,  &c.  which  abound- 
ed with  fine  gold,  bdelium,  and 
the  onyx  stones,  and  this  land 
had  its  name  from  Havilah,  the 
12th  son  of  the  patriarch  Jok- 
tan.    Ophir  or  Aujii\  was  Hav- 
ilah's  immediate  elder  brother, 
and  of  course  the  descendants 
of  the  former,  in  all  probability, 


OPIl 


OP!  I 


iixcd    their  habitation    in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  latter.    It' 
then  die    land     of  Havilah    a- 
bounded  with  gold  and  precious 
stones,  the  land  of  Ophir  un- 
doubtedly  produced  the  same 
articles.     Here  then    we  have 
the    original    Ophir;  here  was 
found  the  primary  gold  of  O- 
phir;  and    here   lay  the  Ophir 
mentioned  in  Job  x,  24.     But 
as  navigation  was  then  in  its  in- 
fanl  state,    the   native  land  of 
gold,  mentioned  by  Job,  must 
have  been  much  nearer  home, 
than  that  to  which  the  fleets  of 
Solomon  and  Hiram  made  their 
triennial  voyages.    That  sever- 
al countries  on  the  south-east 
of  Africa,  abounded  with  gold 
long  after  the  era  of  Job,  is  ev- 
ident  from    the    testimony    of 
Herodotus,    Strabo,    Diodorus 
Siculus,   Ptolemy,  Pomponius, 
Mela,   &c.     But  that  in  these 
countries  the    Ophir  of   Solo- 
mon,  could  not  be  situated  is 
plain,  because  his  ships  in  the 
same  voyage    touched  at  Tar- 
shish,  which  lay  in  a  very  dif- 
ferent quarter. 

The  Abyssinian  traveller  has 
placed  this  regio  aurifcro  in 
Sofa  la,  on  the  eastern  coast  of 
Africa,  nearly  opposite  to  the 
island  of  Madagascar.  This 
hypothesis  was  current  a  hun- 
dred years  before  he  was  born; 
but  I  am  persuaded,  says  our 
author,  that  it  is  not  tenable. 


The  Ophir  oJ  Solomon  in 
whatever  part  of  Africa  it  lay, 
must  have  been  well  known 
prior  to  his  reign,  both  to  the 
Phoenicians  and  the  Kdomites. 
These  people  navigated  their 
monarch's  fleets,  and  therefore 
could  be  no  strangers  to  the 
port  to  which  they  were  bound. 
That  it  was  in  Africa  is  certain, 
and  that  it  was  on  the  west 
coast  of  that  ^immense  penin- 
sula, will  appear  more  than 
probable,  when  we  have  ascer- 
tained the  situation  ofTarshish 
and  the  usual  course  of  the 
Phoenician  navigation.  To 
these  objects,  therefore,  we 
shall  now  direct  our  inquiries. 
Javan  the  fourth  son  of  the 
patriarch  Japhet,  had  four  sons, 
Elishah,  Tarshish,  Kittim,  and 
Dodanim  or  Rodanim;  among 
whose  descendants  were  the 
isles  of  the  Gentiles  divided. 
The  city  of  Tarsus  on  the  coast 
of  Cilicia,  at  once  ascertains 
the  region,  colonized  by  the 
descendants  of  Tarshish. 

Having  proved  to  a  demon- 
stration, that  the  original  Tar- 
shish was  a  region  on  the  west- 
ern coast  of  Asia  Minor,  where 
either  the  patriarch  of  that 
name,  or  some  of  his  imme- 
diate descendants,  planted  a 
colony,  it  remains  to  determine 
whether  this  w;is  actually  the 
country  from  which  Solomon 
imported  the  vast  quantities  of 


OPH 


OPH 


silver,  mentioned  by  the  sacred 
historian.    That  it  was  not  our 
author   frankly  acknowledges; 
and  therefore,  says  he,  we  must 
look  out  for  Solomon's  Tar- 
shish  in  some  other  quarter  of 
the  globe.     To  pave  the  way 
for    this    discovery,   he   very 
justly  observes,  that   it   has  at 
all  times  been  a  common  prac- 
tice, to   transfer   the   name  of 
one  country  to  another,  in  con- 
sequence of  some  analogy  or 
resemblance  between  them.  It 
has   likewise    often    happened 
that  when   a  commodity  was 
brought  from   a   very  distant 
country,  by  a  very  distant  peo- 
ple, the  people  to  whom  it  was 
imported    have    taken    it  for 
granted,  that  it  was   produced 
in   the  region   from  which    it 
was   immediately    brought  to 
them.     Of  the   truth   of  this 
proposition,  no  man  acquainted 
with  the   Greek   and   Roman 
poets,  can  for  a  moment  enter- 
tain a  doubt.     Hence  the  As- 
sy Hum   Ammomum   of  Virgil, 
and  the  Assyrium  malabatJirum 
of  Horace,  though  these  articles 
were  the  product,  not  of  As- 
syria, but  of  India.    The  Jews, 
who  were  as  little  acquainted 
with  foreign  countries,  as  the 
Greeks  and  Romans,  had  very 
probabl}-  the  same  notions  with 
them  respecting  articles  of  com- 
merce, and  if  so,  they  would 
undoubtedly  suppose,  that  the 


silver  sold  by  the  merchants  of 
Tarshish,  was  the  .product  of 
that  country.  When  the  mis- 
take came  to  be  discovered, 
they  very  naturally  transferred 
the  name  Tarshish  from  the 
country  of  the  merchants,  to 
that  of  the  articles  which  they 
imported.  Let  us  now,  says 
our  author,  try  if  we  cannot 
find  out  where  this  country 
was.  It  need  not  now  be 
shown,  by  quotations  from  I- 
saiah  and  Ezekiel,  that  the 
merchants  of  Tarshish  traded 
in  the  markets  of  Tyre,  with 
silver,  iron,  lead,  and  tin. 
To  these  authorities  we  shall 
add  another  from  Jeremiah: 
"Silver,  (says  that  prophet,) 
spread  into  plates,  is  brought 
from  Tarshish."  But  in  Spain, 
continues  our  learned  disserta- 
tor,  all  those  commodities,  were 
found  in  the  greatest  abun- 
dance. All  the  ancient  authors, 
who  describe  that  region,  dwell 
with  rapture  on  its  silver  mines. 
Spain  was  then  the  region, 
which  furnished  Solomon's 
traders  with  the  immense  mass 
of  silver  he  is  said  to  have  im- 
ported. This  was  the  modern 
Tarshish,  and  indeed  both  Jo- 
sephus  and  Eusebius  are  posi- 
tive that  the  posterity  of  Tar- 
shish actually  peopled  that 
country.  If  this  was  an  early 
opinion,  as  it  certainly  was,  the 
Jews  would  of  course  denomi- 


oni 


OPH 


nate  Spain,  from  the  patriarch 
in  question. 

It  might  Le  shown  that 
the  inhabitants  of  Tarshish 
were  strictly  connected,  with 
the  Kittim  or  Grecians:  I  shall 
here  produce  an  authority, 
which  will  prove  to  a  demonstra- 
tion, that  the  Kittim  had  extend- 
ed their  commerce  into  that  part 
of  Africa  now  called  Barbary. 

The  prophet  Ezekiel,  xxvii, 
6,  describing  the  splendor  and 
magnificence  of  Tyre,  tells  us, 
"that  the  company  of  the  Ash- 
urites  made  her  benches  of  ivo- 
ry, brought  from  the  isles  of 
Kittim."  In  the  first  place  I 
must  observe,  that  there  is  pro- 
bably a  small  error  in  the  or- 
thography of  the  word  Ashurim. 
This  term  is  every  where  in 
scripture  translated  Assyrians, 
which  translation  is  certainly 
just.  But  how  the  Assyrians 
could  export  ivory  from  the 
isles  of  Kittim,  and  fashion  it 
into  benches  for  the  Tyrian 
mariners,  is  in  my  opinion,  a 
problem  of  no  easy  solution. 
The  fact  is,  Ashurim  should 
be  Asherim,  that  is,  the  com- 
pany of  the  men  of  Asher.  The 
tribe  of  Asher  obtained  its  in- 
heritance in  the  neighborhood 
of  Tyre,  Josh,  xix,  28.  And 
Hebron  and  Rehol,  and  Hamon, 
and  Canahj  unto  Zidon  the 
great.  The  companies  of  the 
tribe  of  the  Asherites  then,  and 


not  the  Ashurim,  were  the 
people,  who  manufactured  the 
benches  in  question. 

Be  that  as  it  may,  the  ivory 
of  which  these  implements  were 
formed,  was  imported  from  the 
isles  of  Kittim,  that  is,  from 
Greece  and  its  neighborhood. 
These  islands  it  is  certain 
never  produced  ivory.  They 
must,  therefore,  have  imported 
it  from  some  other  country; 
but  no  other  country  to 
which  the  Greeks  and  their 
neighbors  could  have  extended 
their  commerce,  except  the 
north  of  Africa,  produced  that 
commodity.  The  conclusion 
then  is,  that  the  maritime  states 
of  Asia  Minor,  Greece,  and 
probably  the  Hetru scans  on 
the  west  coast  of  Italy,  car- 
ried on  a  gainful  commerce 
with  Spain  and  Barbary,  at  a 
very  early  period. 

We  have  seen  that  the  o- 
riginal  Tarshish,  on  the  coast 
of  Asia  Minor,  did  not  pro- 
duce the  metals  imported  by 
Solomon's  fleet;  that  no  Tar- 
shish is  to  be  found  in  the 
eastern  parts  of  the  globe,  that 
the  Tarshish,  we  are  in  quest 
of,  was  undoubtedly  situated 
somewhere  towards  the  west 
of  Judea;  we  have  shown  that 
the  mercantile  people  of  Asia 
Minor,  Greece,  and  probably  of 
Italy,  actually  imported  some 
of  those  articles  from  the  coast 


OPH 


OPH 


of  Africa;  we  have  hazarded 
a  conjecture,  that  Spain  was 
the  modern  Tarshish,  and  that 
very  country  from  which  Sol- 
omon imported  his  silver,  and 
the  Tynans  their  silver,  iron, 
tin,  and  lead. 

Let  us  now  make  a  trial 
whether  we  cannot  exhibit 
some  internal  proofs  in  support 
of  the  hypothesis  we  have  above 
adopted.— "The  ancients  divid- 
ed Spain  into  three  parts; 
Beetica,  Lusitania,  and  Trav- 
aconensis.  Beetica  is  the  mod- 
ern Andalusia.  It  stretched 
along  the  Fretum  Herculeum, 
or  the  strait  of  Gibraltar,  to  the 
mouth  of  Gaudalquiver.  This 
region  is  thought  bysome  tohave 
been  the  Elysian  fields  of  the 
poets.  The  river  Boetis  which 
divides  it  is  called  Tartessus, 
by  Aristotle,  Stesichorus,  Stra- 
bo,  Pausanias,  Steph.  Bysant, 
and  Avianus.  Here  too  we 
have  a  city  and  lake  of  the 
same  name.  But  Tartessus  is 
positively  the  very  same  with 
Tarshish.  The  Greeks  man- 
ufactured the  rest,  by  chang- 
ing Tarshish  into  Tarsis,  and 
in  process  of  time  into  Tar- 
tessus. That  the  Phoenicians 
actually  changed  schin  into 
than  is  certain;  for  Plutarch 
tells  us  in  the  life  of  Sylla, 
that  in  their  language  an  ox 
was  called  thor,  which  is,  no 
doubt,  the  same  with  the  He- 
brew shor." 


From  this  deduction  it  ap- 
pears highly  probable,  at  least, 
that  the  Spanish  Beetica  was 
originally  called  Tarshish.  In- 
deed this  similarity  of  names 
has  operated  so  powerfully  on 
the  learned  Bochart  and  on 
some  other  moderns  of  no 
mean  figure,  that  they  have 
positively  am;  *  led,  as  Josephus 
had  done  before  them,  that  the 
patriarch  Tarshish  actually  set- 
tled in  that  country.  This,  I 
should  think  not  altogether 
probable,  but  that  his  descend- 
ants, who  settled  on  the  coast 
of  Asia  Minor,  colonized  Bee- 
tica, and  carried  on  an  uninter- 
rupted commerce  to  that  coun- 
try, along  with  the  Phoenicians, 
for  many  centuries,  after  it  was 
peopled,  and  that  from  the  cir- 
cumstances above  narrated,  it 
was  denominated  Tarshish,  are 
facts  too  evident  to  admit  of 
contradiction. 

Let  us  now  see,  whether  this 
Beetica,  where  I  have  endeav- 
ored to  fix  the  situation  of  Tar- 
shish of  the  scriptures,  was  ac- 
tually furnished  with  those  ar- 
ticles of  commerce,  which  are 
said  to  have  been  imported 
from  that  country .  To  enlarge 
on  this  topic  would  be  altogeth- 
er superfluous.  Diodorus  Sic- 
ulus,  Strabo,  Polybius,  Pliny, 
Soiinus,and  in  one  word,  all  the 
Greek  and  Roman  historians, 
who  have  mentioned  that  re- 
gion, have    unanimously   ex- 


oni 


OPH 


hibited  it,  as  the  native  land  of 
silver,  iron,  and  tin:  to  these, 
contrary  to  the  opinions  of  the 
celebrated  modern  traveller, 
they  likewise  add  gold  in  very 
large  quantities.  Our  author 
having  thus  ascertained  the 
situation  of  Tarshish,  proceeds 
to  prove,  too  largely  for  our  in- 
sertion, that  the  Edomites  and 
Tyrians  had  doubled  the  cape, 
and  almost  encompassed  Afri- 
ca, long  before  the  era  of  Sol- 
omon. Then  referring  to  1 
Kings  chapter  ix,  and  x;  2 
Chron.  viii,  9;  2  Kings  xxii; 
and  2  Chron.  xx.  He  ob- 
serves that  from  these  author- 
ities, it  appears  indubitable, 
that  the  fleets  of  Solomon  and 
Hiram,  sailed  from  Eloth  and 
Ezion-geber;  that  the  voyages 
to  Ophir  and  Tarshish,  were 
exactly  the  same  performed  at 
one  and  at  the  same  time,  by 
the  very  same  fleet;  which 
must  necessarily  have  encom- 
passed the  peninsula  of  Africa, 
before  it  could  arrive  at  the 
country  of  Tarshish.  This 
being  the  case,  the  traders 
might  easily  enough  collect  the 
geld  on  the  coast  of  Guinea, 
or  on  what  is  now  vulgarly 
called  the  Gold  Coast.  "The 
ivory  they  might  readily  pro- 
cure on  the  Barbary  coast,  op- 
posite to  Tarshish.  In  Africa 
too,  they  might  hunt  asses, 
monkies,  baboons,  &c.  and 
39 


peacocks,  or  rather  parrots, 
and  paraquets,  they  might  sur- 
prise in  the  forests,  which 
abounded  on  the  coast.  In 
Spain,  silver,  iron,  lead,  and 
tin,  were,  one  may  say,  the  na- 
tive produce  of  the  soil.  Ev- 
en at  this  early  period,  the 
Phoenician  navigators  had  dis- 
covered the  Cassiterides,  or 
Scilly  islands,  and  Cornwall, 
and  from  that  region  in  com- 
pany with  the  merchants,  may 
have  supplied  them  with  a  rare 
commodity. 

"I  have  supposed  that  the 
navy  of  Solomon  and  Hiram, 
collected  their  gold  in  the 
course  of  their  voyage,  some- 
where on  the  coast  of  Africa, 
beyond  the  cape,  for  the  fol- 
lowing reasons:  had  they  found 
the  golden  fleece  at  Sofala,  or 
any  part  of  the  coast  of  Africa, 
they  would  have  chosen  to  re- 
turn and  unlade  at  Eloth  or  Ezi- 
on-geber, rather  than  pursue  a 
long  and  dangerous  course,qu  ite 
round  Africa,  to  Tarshish;  to 
which  last  country  they  might 
have  shaped  their  course  much 
more  commodiously  from  Zi- 
don,  Tyre,  Joppa,  &c.  But 
being  obliged  to  double  the 
cape,  in  quest  of  some  of  these 
articles,  which  they  were  en- 
joined to  import,  they  pushed 
onward  to  Tarshish,  and  re- 
turned by  the  pillars  of  Hercu- 
les to  Tyre,  or  perhaps  to  Jop- 


OPH 


OPH 


pa,  &c.  Their  next  voyage, 
commenced  from  one  or  other 
of  these  ports,  from  which 
they  directed  their  course  to 
Tarshish;  and  having  taken  in 
part  of  their  lading  there,  they 
afterwards  coasted  round  Af- 
rica, and  so  arrived  once  more 
at  Eioth  or  Ezion-geber. 

"Let  us  now  attend  to  the 
space  of  time  in  which  these 
v  oyages  were  performed.  We 
are  told  expressly  2  Chron.  ix, 
21;  that  once  every  three  years 
came  the  ships  of  Tarshish, 
&c.  This  is  exactly  the  time 
one  would  naturally  imagine 
necessary  to  perform  such  a 
distant  voyage,  at  a  period 
when  navigation  was  still  in  its 
infancy,  and  mariners  seldom 
adventured  to  lose  sight  of  the 
coast.  Of  this  we  have  an  ir- 
refragable proof  in  the  history 
of  a  voyage  round  the  very 
same  continent,  undertaken 
and  accomplished  in  the  very 
same  space  of  time  about  two 
centuries  after. 

1  'We  learn  from  Herodotus, 
that  Nechus,  one  of  the  latter 
kings  of  Egypt,  whom  the 
scriptures  call  Pharaoh- A  echo, 
built  a  great  number  of  ships, 
both  on  the  Red  Sea  and  the 
Mediterranean.  The  same 
historian  informs  us,  that  this 
enterprising  monarch  projected 
a  voyage  round  the  continent 
©f  Africa,  which  was  actually 


accomplished  in  the  space  of 
three  years.  In  this  enterprise, 
he  employed  Phoenician  mar- 
iners, as  Solomon  had  done 
before  him.  These,  we  may 
suppose,  were  assisted  in  the 
the  course  of  this  navigation 
by  charts  or  journals,  or  at 
least  by  traditional  accounts 
derived  from  their  owners. 
These  navigators,  says  the  his- 
torian, took  their  departure 
from  a  port  on  the  Red  Sea, 
and  sailing  thence,  into  the 
southern  ocean,  and  in  the  be- 
ginning of  autumn  landing  on 
the  coast  of  Africa,  there  they 
sowed  some  grain,  which  they 
had  carried  out  With  them  on 
board  their  vessels.  In  this 
place  they  waited  till  the  crop 
was  ripened;  and  having  cut 
it  down  they  proceeded  on 
their  voyage.  Having  spent 
two  years  in  this  navigation,  in 
the  third  they  returned  to 
Egypt,  by  the  pillars  of  Her- 
cules. These  mariners,  adds 
the  author,  reported  a  fact, 
which  for  his  part,  he  could 
by  no  means  believe  to  be  true; 
namely,  that  in  one  part  of  their 
course,  their  shadows  fell  on 
their  right;  a  circumstance 
which  gives  considerable 
weight  to  the  truth  of  the  re- 
lation. 

"Let  it  now  be  observed, 
that  Phoenician  mariners  navi- 
gated the  fleet  of  Solomon:  the 


OPH 


OPH 


same  people  conducted  that  of 
Necho:  the  fleet  of  Necho 
spent  three  years  in  the  course 
of  its  voyage;  that  of  Solomon 
did  the  same  about  two  centu- 
ries before;  the  fleet  of  Necho 
sailed  from  a  port  in  the  Red 
Sea;  that  of  Solomon  took  its 
departure  from  Eloth  to  Ezion- 
geber  situated  on  the  same  sea: 
the  fleet  of  the  former  returned 
by  the  pillars  of  Hercules,  that 
of  the  latter,  according  to  the 
hypothesis,  pursued  the  very 
same  route.  Such  a  coinci- 
dence of  similar  circumstances, 
united  with  those  adduced  in 
the  preceding  part  of  this  arti- 
cle, seem  to  prove  almost  to  a 
demonstration,  that  the  navy  of 
Hiram  and  Solomon  perform- 
ed a  voyage  round  Africa,  in 
that  age,  in  the  same  manner 
as  that  of  Necho  did  two  cen- 
turies after. 

"Upon  the  whole,  I  con- 
clude that  the  original  Ophir, 
was  situated  on  the  south  of 
Arabia  Felix,  between  Sheba 
and  Havilah,  which  last  was 
encompassed  by  one  of  the 
branches  of  the  river  of  Para- 
dise, that  the  name  Ophir,  was  in 
consequence  of  its  resemblance, 
in  process  of  time,  transferred 
to  a  region  on  the  coast  of 
Africa,  and  that  from  it,  first 
Aufer  and  then  Africa  was 
denominated:  that  the  primitive 
Tarshish  was  Cilicia,  and  that 


the  Jews  applied  this  name,  to 
all  the  commercial  states  on  the 
coast  of  Asia  Minor,  and  per- 
haps   of     Italy,    there     being 
strong  presumptions,  that  the 
Tyrrhenians     were     colonists 
from    Tarshish,    likewise   ac- 
quired the  name  of  Tarshish; 
that  the  Tyrians   were  strictly 
connected  with  the  merchants 
of  Tarshish,  in  their  commer- 
cial enterprizes,   that  Tarshish 
was   certainly   situated    west- 
ward  from    Judea,  Phoenicia, 
&c.  that  no  other  countries  in 
the  western  quarters,  produced 
the  commodities  imported  by 
the  two   kings,  except    Spain 
and  the  opposite    coasts;    that 
this    country,   in  those   ages, 
produced  not  only  silver,  iron, 
tin,  and  lead,  but  likewise  gold 
ii\  great   abundance,   that  the 
merchants  of  Kittim  imported 
ivory,  of  which  the    Asherites 
made  benches  for  the  Tyrians; 
which   commodity  they  must 
have   purchased    on  the  coast 
of  Barbary;    where   the  Jews 
and  Phoenicians  would  find  the 
same    article;     that     Tarshish 
being  situated  in  Spain,  it  was 
impossible  for  a  fleet   sailing 
from    Eloth    to    Ezion-geber, 
to  arrive  at  that  country  without 
encompassing   Africa;    that  of 
course,  the    fleet   in   question 
did   actually    encompass    that 
continent,    that    the  Ophir    of 
Solomon  must  have  been  sjtua- 


OPH 


OPH 


ted  somewhere  on  the  coast  of 
Africa,  to  the  west  of  the  cape, 
because  from  it  the  course  to 
Tarshish,  was  more  eligible, 
than  to  return  the  same  way 
back  to  Ezion-geber." 

Our  author  supports  this  con- 
clusion by  other  arguments  and 
authorties,  which  our  limits 
will  not  permit  us  to  detail; 
but  perhaps  the  article  might 
be  deemed  incomplete,  if  we 
did  not  show  how  he  obviates 
an  objection,  that  will  readily 
occur  to  his  theory.  "If  the 
original  Ophir  was  situated  on 
the  coast  of  Arabia  Felix,  and 
the  modern  region  of  the  same 
name  on  the  west  coast  of  Af- 
rica, it  may  be  made  a  ques- 
tion, how  the  latter  country 
came  to  be  denominated  from 
the  former.' ' 

"Nothing,"  says  our  author, 
"can  be  more  easy  than  to  an- 
swer this  question.  The  prac- 
tice of  adopting  the  name  of 
an  ancient  country  to  a  newly 
discovered  one,  resembling  the 
other  in  appearance,  in  situa- 
tion, in  figure,  in  distance,  in 
the  nature  of  the  climate,  pro- 
ductions, &c.  has  ever  been  so 
common,  that  to  produce  in- 
stances would  be  altogether 
superfluous.  The  newly  dis- 
covered region  on  the  coast 
of  Africa,  abounded  with  the 
same  species  of  commodities 
by  which  the  original  one  was 


distinguished;  and  of  course 
the  name  of  the  latter  was  an- 
nexed to  the  former."  Wheth- 
er the  hypothesis  of  Mr.  Bruce, 
or  Dr.  Doeg,  respecting  the 
long  disputed  situation  of 
Solomon's  Ophir  >  be  the  true 
one,  I  shall  not  presume  to 
decide,  though  I  think  that 
most  readers  will  prefer  the  sys- 
tem of  the  Abyssinian  traveller, 
which  is  confirmed  by  the 
approbation  of  D'Anville,  Dr. 
Robertson,  and  other  great 
names.  Both  are  plausible, 
both  are  supported  by  much 
ingenuity,  and  uncommon  eru- 
dition.     Subjudice  lis  est. 

OPHNI,  a  city  of  Judea,  of 
the  tribe  of  Benjamin,  Josh, 
xviii,  24, 

OPHRAH,  a  city  of  Ma- 
nasseh,  and  the  birth  place  of 
Gideon,  Judg.  vi,  11. 

Op h rah,  a  town  of  Benja- 
min, Josh,  xviii,  23. 

ORTHOSIAS,  a  maritime 
city  of  Phoenicia,  over  against 
the  island  of  Aradus,  not  far 
from  Tripolis,  1  Mace,  xv, 
25.  It  was  once  the  seat  of  a 
Christian  bishop,  and  a  place 
of  great  strength.  Here  are 
now  seen  manv  interesting:  an- 
tiquities;  the  place  is  now  cal- 
led Tortosa.  Maundrel.  Lat. 
34  40. 

PADAN-ARAM,  probably 
the  north  west  part  of  Mesopo- 
tamia.    See  Mesopotamia. 


PAL 


PAL 


PAHATH-MOAB,  the 
name  of  a  place  in  the  country 
of  the  Moabites,  Ezra  ii,  6; 
and  viii,  4;  and  x,  30.  When 
Zerubbabel  returned  from  Bab- 
ylon 2812  people  of  this  place 
came  with  him,  and  200  came 
with  Ezra.  Joab  was  a  native 
of  this  town. 

PALESTINE,  a  country  of 
Asia.  Though  we  have  already 
bestowed  a  liberal  attention  to 
this  country,  yet  the  intelli- 
gent reader  will  naturally  re- 
quire a  more  distinct  view  of  the 
present  state  of  Judea,  its  inhab- 
itants, government,  science,  &c. 

The  government  is  of  the 
worst  conceivable  description; 
its  influence  is  in  a  thousand 
ways  deleterious  and  fatal. 

In  each  government  the 
Pacha,  being  the  image  of  the 
Sultan,  is  like  him,  an  absolute 
despot.  All  power  is  united 
in  his  person,  he  is  chief  of  the 
military  and  finances,  of  the 
police,  and  criminal  justice. 
He  has  the  power  of  life  and 
death;  he  has  the  power  of 
making  peace;  in  a  word,  he 
can  do  every  thing.  The  main 
object  of  so  much  authority  is 
to  collect  the  tribute,  that  is  to 
transmit  the  revenue  to  the 
great  propriety,  who  has  con- 
quered, and  who  possesses  the 
country  by  the  right  of  his  ter- 
rific lance.  This  duty  fulfilled, 
no  other  is  required  from  him, 


the  means  employed  to  accom- 
plish it,  is  a  matter  of  no  con- 
cern, those  means  are  at  his 
discretion,  and  such  is  the  na- 
ture of  his  situation,  that  he 
cannot  be  delicate  in  his  choice 
of  them;  for  in  the  first  place, 
he  can  neither  advance,  nor 
even  maintain  himself,  but  in 
proportion  as  he  can  procure 
money.  Secondly,  the  place 
he  holds  depends  on  the  favor 
of  the  Visir,  or  some  other 
great  officer,  and  this  can  only 
be  obtained  and  secured  by  bid- 
ding higher,  than  his  competi- 
tors. He  must  therefore  raise 
money  to  pay  the  tribute,  and 
also  to  indemnify  himself  for 
all  he  has  paid  to  support  his 
dignity,  and  make  a  provision 
in  case  of  accidents.  Accord- 
ingly, the  first  care  of  a  Pacha, 
on  entering  his  government,  is 
to  devise  methods  to  procure 
money,  and  the  quickest  are  in- 
variably thought  the  best.  The 
established  mode  of  collecting 
the  Miri,  and  the  customs,  is 
to  appoint  one  or  more  princi- 
pal farmers,  for  the  current 
year,  who  in  order  to  facilitate 
the  collection,  divide  it  and 
subdivide,  even  to  the  smallest 
villages.  The  Pacha  lets  these 
employments  to  the  best  bid- 
der, wishing  to  draw  as  much 
money  from  them  as  possible. 
The  farmers,  who  on  their  side 
have  no  object  in  taking  them, 


PAL 


PAL 


but  gain,  strain  every  nerve  to 
augment  their  receipts.   Hence 
those  extortions  to  which  they 
are  the  more  easily  inclined,  as 
they  are  sure  of  being  support- 
ed by  authority;    and  hence  in 
the  very  heart  of  the  people,  a 
faction  of  men,   interested    in 
multiplying  impositions.    The 
Pacha  may  applaud  himself  for 
penetrating  into  the  most  hid- 
den sources  of  private  profits, 
by  the  clear  sighted  rapacity  of 
his  subalterns;   but  what  is  the 
consequence?  The  people  de- 
nied the  enjoyment  of  the  fruit 
of  their  labor,  restrain  their  la- 
bor to  the  supply  of  their  neces- 
sary wants;    the  husbandman 
sows  only  to  preserve  himself 
from  starving;   the  artist  labors 
only  to  bring  up  his  family;   if 
he  has  any  surplus,  he  carefully 
conceals  ir.   Thus  the  arbitrary 
conduct  of  the  Sultan,  trans- 
mitted to  the  Pacha,  and  to  all 
his  sub-delegates,  by  giving  a 
free   course  to   extortion,  be- 
comes   the    main     spring     of 
a    tyranny,    which    circulates 
through  every  ciass,  whilst  its 
effects,  by  a  reciprocal  re -ac- 
tion, are  every  where  fatal  to 
agriculture,     the    arts,    com- 
merce,  population,   and  to  ev- 
ery thing,    which    constitutes 
the  power  of  the  state,  or,  the 
power  of  the   Sultan  himself. 
All  the  magistrates  of  the  em- 
pire,  culled  Cadis,  or  Judges, 


depend  on  one  principal  chief, 
who  resides  at  Constantinople, 
The  title  of  his  dignity  is  Cadi- 
elasker,  or  judge  of  the  army, 
which  title  aione  indicates,  as  I 
have  already  observed,  that  the 
power  is  entirely  military,  and 
resides  wholly  in  the  army  and 
its  general.      This  grand  Cadi 
names  the  judges  of  the  capital 
cities,  such  as  Aleppo,  Damas- 
cus,  Jerusalem,    &c.      These 
judges  again  name  others  in  the 
places  within  their  dependency. 
But  what  is  the  qualification  re- 
quired?    Always  money.     All 
these  employments,  like  those 
of  the  government,  are  sold  to 
the  best  bidder,  and  rented  in 
the  same  way  from  year  to  year. 
What    is    the     consequence? 
That  they  who  buy  the  office 
endeavor  to  recover  the  money 
advanced,  to  obtain  interest  and 
also  a  profit.     What  therefore 
can  we  expect  from  such  dis- 
positions in  men,  who  hold  the 
baiance  of  justice  in  their  hands, 
and  decide  on  the  property  of 
their  fellow  citizens? 

The  tribunal  whence  these 
Cadis  issue  their  decisions,  is 
called  the  Mahkama,  or  place 
of  judgment.  Sometimes  it  is 
at  their  own  houses,  but  never 
is  it  at  a  place  which  corres- 
ponds with  the  idea,  annexed 
to  so  sacred  an  employment. 
In  an  empty  mean  apartment 
the  Cadi  is  seated  on  a  mat  ojf 


PAL 


PAL 


V/retched  carpet.  On  each  side 
of  him  are  his  clerks,  and  some 
domestics.  The  door  is  open 
to  every  body;  the  parties  ap- 
pear; and  there  without  inter- 
preters, advocates,  or  attornies, 
each  pleads  his  own  cause. 
Squatted  on  the  ground,  they 
state  the  facts,  discuss,  reply, 
contest,  and  argue  again  in 
their  turns.  Sometimes  the  de- 
bates are  violent;  but  the  cries 
of  the  clerks,  and  the  staff  of 
the  Cadi  soon  restore  order 
and  silence.  Gravely  smoaking 
his  pipe,  and  twisting  the  end 
of  his  beard  round  his  finger, 
this  judge  listens,  interrogates, 
and  concludes  by  pronouncing 
a  sentence  without  appeal, 
which  at  most  allows  but  two 
months  delay.  The  parties 
are  never  well  satisfied;  they 
retire,  however,  with  respect 
and  pay  a  fee,  estimated  at 
one  tenth  of  the  litigated  prop- 
erty without  murmuring  at 
the  decision,  as  it  is  invariably 
dictated  by  the  infallible  Koran. 
Daily  experience  proves, 
that  there  is  no  country  where 
justice  is  more  corrupted, 
than  in  Egypt,  Syria,  and  no 
doubt  all  the  rest  of  the  Turk- 
ish empire.  Venality  is  no 
where  more  open,  nor  more  im- 
pudent. The  parties  may  bar^ 
gain  for  their  cause  with  their 
Judges  as  they  would  for  any 
common  commodity.     Instan- 


ces of  great  sagacity  and  equity, 
no  doubt  are  to  be  found,  but 
(hey  are  rare,  which  is  the  very 
reason,  why  they  are  so  cele- 
brated. Corruption  is  habitual 
and  general;  and  how  is  it  pos- 
sible to  be  otherwise,  where  in- 
tegrity may  be  ruinous,  and  in- 
justice lucrative;  where  each 
Cadi  deciding  without  appeal, 
fears  neither  a  revision  of  his 
sentence,  nor  punishment  for 
his  partiality;  and  where  in 
short,  the  want  of  clear  and 
precise  laws,  affords  a  thousand 
ways  of  avoiding  the  shame  ok" 
an  evident  injustice,  by  open- 
ing the  crooked  paths  of  com- 
mentaries and  interpretations? 
Miserable  is  the  condition  of 
the  peasants.  They  are  every 
where  reduced  to  a  little  flat 
cake  of  barley,  or  dourra,  to 
onions,  lentiles,  and  water. 
They  are  so  little  acquainted 
with  dainties,  that  they  esteem 
strong  oil,  and  rancid  fat  as  del- 
icacies. Not  to  lose  any  part 
of  their  corn,  they  leave  in  it 
all  sorts  of  wild  grain,  even 
tares,  which  occasions  virtigoes 
and  dimness  of  sight  for  sev- 
eral hours,  as  I  have  myself  ex- 
perienced. In  the  mountains 
of  Lebanon  and  Nablous,  in 
time  of  dearth,  they  gather  the 
acorns  from  the  oaks,  which 
they  eat,  after  boiling  or  roast- 
ing them  on  the  ashes.  The 
truth  of  this  has  been  authenti- 


PAL 


PAL 


cated  to  me,  among  the  Dru- 
zes,by  persons  who  have  them- 
selves made  use  of  them.  We 
must  therefore  no  longer  accuse 
the  poets  of  hyperbole,  but  it 
will  only  be  the  more  difficult 
to  believe  that  the  golden  age 
was  the  age  of  abundance. 

By  a  natural  consequence  of 
this  misery,  the  art  of  cultiva- 
tion is  in  the  most  deplorable 
state;  the  husbandman  is  desti- 
tute of  instruments,  or  has  very 
bad  ones;  his  plough  is  fre- 
quently no  more  than  the 
branch  of  a  tree,  cut  below  a 
bifurcation.  The  ground  is 
tilled  by  asses  and  cows,  rarely 
by  oxen;  they  would  bespeak 
too  much  riches;  beef  is  there- 
fore very  scarce  in  Syria  and 
Egypt,  where  besides,  it  is  al- 
ways lean  and  bad,  like  all  the 
meat  of  hot  countries.  In  the 
districts  exposed  to  the  Arabs, 
as  in  Palestine,  the  countryman 
must  sow  with  his  musket  in 
his  hand.  Scarcely  does  the 
corn  turn  yellow,  before  it  is 
reaped,  and  concealed  in  Mat- 
inoures,  or  subterraneous  cav- 
erns. As  little  as  possible  is 
employed  for  seed  corn;  be- 
cause they  sow  no  more  than 
is  barely  necessary  for  subsis- 
tence; in  a  word  their  whole 
industry  is  limited  to  a  supply 
of  their  immediate  wants;  and 
to  procure  a  little  bread,  a  few 
Onions,  a  wretched  blue  shirt, 


and  a  bit  of  woolen,  much  la- 
bor is  not  necessary.  The 
peasant  lives,  therefore,  in  dis- 
tress; but  at  least  he  does  not 
enrich  his  tyrants,  and  the  ava- 
rice of  despotism  is  its  own 
punishment. 

The  degraded  state  of  the 
arts  and  sciences,  corresponds 
with  the  oppression  of  the 
government,  and  the  miseries 
of  the  people.  With  regard 
to  the  useful  arts  many  of  them 
would  be  useless  in  this  coun- 
try, which  are  considered  ne- 
cessary with  us,  owing  to  the 
small  quantity  of  furniture  used 
among  the  Orientals.  The 
whole  inventory  of  a  rich  fam- 
ily there  consists  in  a  carpet, 
mats,  cushions,  matrasses,  some 
small  cotton  cloths,  copper  and 
wooden  platters  for  the  table, 
a  few  stewing  pans,  a  mortar 
and  a  portable  mill,  a  little 
porcelain,  and  some  plates  of 
copper  covered  with  tin.  This, 
it  should  be  remembered,  is 
the  furniture  of  a  rich  family. 
All  our  costly  apparatus  of 
curtains,  beds,  chairs,  soffas, 
looking  glasses,  desks  and 
plate,  glasses  and  pictures,  is 
entirely  unknown  to  them.  In 
the  country  they  are  limited  to 
mere  necessaries.  Each  house 
manufactures  its  own  cloth; 
every  one  has  a  hand  mill  with 
which  the  women  grind  their 
corn.      The  sciences  are  un- 


PAL 


PAL 


known,  the  barbarism  of Judea 
is  complete.  They  have  nei- 
ther seminaries,  nor  geometri- 
cians, astronomers,  musicians, 
nor  physicians.  Scarcely  do 
they  know  how  to  let  blood. 
Scarcely  have  they  heard  that 
the  world  revolves  round  the 
sun.  Being  Mahometans,  the 
Koran  absorbs  all  their  studies. 
There  are  two  hundred  vol- 
umes of  commentaries  upon 
the  first  verse;  but  these  are 
rare;  only  two  libraries  are 
found  in  the  country;  these 
are  small  and  of  little  value. 
The  common  people  receive 
no  instruction  of  importance. 
Their  priests  neither  preach 
nor  catechise.  Children  are 
taught  to  read  the  Koran,  if 
Mahometans,  and  the  Psalms, 
if  they  are  Christians,  and  a' 
little  writing.  The  very  means 
of  instruction  are  wanting;  they 
Have  scarcely  any  books.  The 
reason  is  evident;  a  book  here 
is  a  manuscript;  the  cose  is  very 
great.  It  requires  the  labor  of 
months  to  produce  one  volume. 
The  radical  source  of  this  mis- 
chief is  concealed  in  the  wicked 
government.  Instead  of  pro- 
moting knowledge  or  the  means 
of  education,  the  iron  hand  of 
despotism  is  raised  to  quench 
the  sparks  of  science  and 
knowledge.  The  highest  at- 
tainments of  liberal  science 
would  not  in  these  regions  of 
40 


tyranny  preserve  the  possessor 
from  languishing  in  obscurity 
and  indigence.  While  such  a 
government  lasts,  the  people 
must  be  poor  and  ignorant. 
The  peculiar  nature  of  their 
religion,  their  extreme  poverty, 
ignorance,  and  servitude  must 
be  supposed  to  produce  vari- 
ous traits  of  character,  which 
must  appear  singular  to  us. 
Of  all  the  subjects  which  at- 
tract attention  in  any  coun- 
try, the  moral  character  of 
the  inhabitants  is  unques- 
tionably the  most  important. 
This  demands  the  first  atten- 
tion of  the  traveller,  the  histo- 
rian, and  geographer.  The 
task  is  arduous,  but  well  re- 
wards the  labor.  The  first  ap- 
pearance of  this  people  is  dif- 
ferent fiom  ours.  Their  dress 
is  long  and  flowing;  their  beards 
are  long;  but  their  heads  are 
shaved.  In  their  salutations 
they  never  bend  the  body;  they 
are  almost  continually  seated 
through  life;  if  they  walk,  it  is 
always  slowly  and  on  business; 
never  for  pleasure.  Their  re- 
ligious exterior  is  equally  dif- 
ferent from  ours.  Their  con- 
versation, their  gestures,  their 
countenances,  display  their  re- 
ligion. In  the  street,  every 
one  appears  with  his  string  of 
beads,  and  as  they  pass  along, 
we  hear  nothing  but  emphati- 
cal  exclamations  of   Ya  Allah, 


PAL 


PAL 


Oh  God!  Allah  akbad!  God 
most  great;  Allah  taaled,  God 
most  high.  Every  instant  you 
hear  a  profound  sigh,  following 
some  of  the  ninety-nine  names 
of  the  Most  High,  such  as  Ya 
rani!  Source  of  riches!  Ya 
Jobhan!  Oh  most  to  be  prais- 
ed! Ya  mastour!  Oh  impenetra- 
ble. If  a  man  sells  bread  in 
the  streets,  he  does  not  cry, 
bread,  but  exclaims,  Allah  Ke- 
rim,  God  is  liberal.  If  he  sells 
water  he  cries,  Allah  djawad, 
God  is  generous,  &c.  The 
usual  form  of  salutation  is,  God 
preserve  thee;  and  of  thanks, 
God  protect  thee.  In  a  word, 
God  is  in  every  thing,  and  ev- 
ery where.  They  are  also 
grave,  and  cold  in  every  thing 
which  they  say  or  do.  Their 
behavior  is  austere,  serious, 
melancholy.  They  rarely  laugh, 
and  the  gaiety  of  a  Frenchman 
seems  to  them  a  wild  delirium. 
They  speak  with  deliberation, 
without  passion,and  without  ges- 
tures; they  listen  without  inter- 
rupting you, and  are  silent  whole 
days  together.  Their  belief  in 
fatalism  gives  them  an  apathy 
of  spirit;  they  neither  regret 
what  is  past,  nor  are  anxious 
respecting  the  future.  The 
bed  of  death  does  not  awaken 
sensibility  in  the  Mahometan; 
he  makes  his  ablution,  says 
his  prayers,  professes  his  be- 
lief in  Mahomet,  requests  that 


his  head  may  be  turned  M* 
wards  Mecca,  and  dies  qui- 
etly.    Volney. 

Ancient  and  modern  writers 
confirm  the  history  of  Moses, 
when  they  speak  concerning 
the  products  of  this  land.  The 
apples,  which  they  call  apples 
of  paradise,  grow  in  clusters 
like  grapes,  frequently  a  hun- 
dred of  them  in  a  bunch,  e- 
nough  to  fill  a  moderate  basket. 
Their  vines  yield  three  crops 
of  excellent  grapes  in  a  year. 
Descriptio  Terrae  Sanctae  Bro- 
cardo  Monaco,  Chap.  11.  But 
the  people  of  this  country,  the 
same  writer  observes,  chap.  12, 
are  of  every  nation  under  the 
sun,  among  whom  none  are 
more  corrupt  than  the  Chris- 
tians. The  reasons,  he  says, 
are  evident,  without  implicat- 
ing the  excellence  of  the  gos- 
pel. When  any  one  in  Spain, 
France,  Germany,  Italy,  of 
other  Roman  Catholic  coun- 
tries is  guilty  of  manslaughter, 
robbery,  theft,  incest,  adultery, 
fornication,  or  treason,  fearing 
he  shall  be  brought  to  punish- 
ment, he  flies  to  the  Holy  Land, 
as  though  this  would  wipe  a- 
way  his  crimes;  but  it  does  not 
change  his  character.  Here 
are  Saracens,  Syrians,  Greeks, 
Turks,  and  Arabs,  men  of  all 
denominations  and  countries, 
Maronites,  Nestorians,  Papists, 
and  Mahometans. 


PAN 


PAN 


Hasselquist,  says  the  olives 
are  beautiful  and  of  the  best 
kind.  Mr.  Maillet  says  that 
honey  is  yet  produeed  in  great 
plenty,  and  that  they  have  a 
singular  manner  of  feeding 
them.  Another  traveller  says 
it  is  impossible  for  pulse, 
wheat,  or  grain  of  any  kind  to 
be  richer  or  better  tasted,  than 
what  is  sold  in  Jerusalem. 

PAMPHYLIA,  a  province 
of  Asia  Minor,  which  gives 
name  to  that  part  of  the  Med- 
iterranean Sea,  which  washes 
its  coast,  Acts  xxvii,  5.  To 
the  south,  it  is  bounded  by  the 
Mediterranean,  and  to  the 
north  by  Pisidia;  having  Lydia 
to  the  west,  and  Cilicia  to  the 
east.         Wells's  Geography. 

The  whole  country  is  fertile 
and  well  cultivated.  The 
most  unproductive  lands  are 
pastures  for  numerous  herds  of 
goats,  whose  hair  is  profitable, 
as  materials  for  excellent  cam- 
blets.  In  the  low  country  the 
summers  are  extremely  hot, 
and  the  people  retire  to  the 
mountains.  Perga  is  a  city  of 
this  province,  famous  for  a  re- 
markable temple  dedicated  to 
Diana  Pergea.  The  northern 
part  of  mount  Taurus  was  in- 
cluded in  this  province,  that  ex- 
tensive and  celebrated  range  of 
mountains  on  some  part  cf  which 
it  has  been  supposed  the  ark 
rested.    Paul    and    Barnabas, 


preached  at  Perga  and  Pam- 
phylia,  Acts  xiii,  13;  and  xiv, 
24.  Being  a  commercial  peo- 
ple, strangers  flocked  there,  and 
among  other  nations  many 
Jews  took  up  their  residence 
here;  hence  "the  dwellers  in 
Pamphylia,"  are  mentioned  as 
coming  to  Jerusalem  on  the 
day  of  Pentecost.  Christianity 
is  not  entirely  eradicated  from 
this  Country;  but  may  be  com- 
pared to  a  woman  banished  in- 
to the  wilderness.  Lat.  37, 
Long.  48,  51. 

PANEAS,  a  city  of  Syria, 
formerly  called  Leshcm  after- 
wards Dan,  from  the  conquest 
made  of  it  by  some   Israelites, 
of  the  tribe  of  Dan,  afterwards 
Paneas,  at  the  foot  of  which  it 
was      situated;     then    Cesarea 
Philippi,  in  honor  of  the  em- 
peror Augustus,  to  whom  Phil- 
ip son  of  Herod  the  Great,  con- 
secrated it.     His  father  Herod 
had  a  good  while  before  built 
a  magnificent  temple   here  to 
the  honor  of  Augustus.    Lastly 
young   Agrippa    changed    the 
name  of  Ccesarea  into   that  of 
Areronias,  in  honor   of  Nero. 
In  the  time  of  William  of  Tyre 
it  was  called   Bcllnas.      Some 
doubt  whether  Paneas  be    the 
same  as  Dan.     Eusebius    and 
St.    Jerome   make  a  manifest 
distinction  in  Dan;  since  they 
affirm,  that  Dan  is  four  miles 
from  Paneas,  on  the   road   t:, 


PAP 


PAR 


Tyre.  But  most  writers  con- 
found them  together,  and  St. 
Jerome  himself  says  in  Eze-k- 
iel  xlviii,  that  Dan,  or  Lcshem, 
was  afterwards  called  Paneas. 
It  was  situated  about  the  place 
whereJordan  issues  out  of  the 
ground,  for  this  river  has  its 
source  in  the  lake  called  Phi- 
ala,  an  hundred  furlongs  from 
Paneas.     Lat.  33,  27." 

Paneas,  or  Panius,  the 
same  as  mount  Hermon,  which 
see. 

PAPHOS,  a  celebrated  city 
of  Cyprus  now  called  Baifo, 
lying  on  the  western  coast  of 
the  island,  where  Venus,  who 
from  hence  took  the  name  of 
Paphia,  had  her  most  ancient 
and  celebrated  temple,  and 
here  the  Roman  Procon- 
sul Sergius  Pauius,  whom  St. 
Paul  converted  to  Christianity, 
had  his  residence,  Acts  xiii,  6. 
The  idolatry  of  Venus  contin- 
ued here  400  years  a,fter  the 
introduction  of  Christianity; 
a  bishop  of -the -Greek  church 
stih  resides  at  Paphos.  The 
figure  under  which  Venus  was 
worshipped  was  not  human; 
but  simply  an  upright  stone. 
This  worship  was  first  taugjit 
at  Paphos  by  Phoenicians,  who 
came  from  Askelon,  who  had 
received  it  from  the  ancient 
Assyrians;  the  same  pbjeqt  is 
worshipped  in  India  to  this 
day.      This    tends    to   prove 


what  is  repeatedly  suggested  in 
this  work,  that  the  Philistines 
derive  their  descent  from  the 
original  Assyria,  very  far  east 
from  the  Euphrates,  near  the 
fountains  of  the  great  rivers  of 
Asia.  They  worshipped  the 
same  deity  under  the  same 
symbol.     Lat.  33,  35. 

PARADISE.  In  the  books 
of  the  New  Testament,  the 
word  paradise  is  put  for  a  place 
of  delight,  where  the  souls  of 
the  blessed  enjoy  everlasting 
happiness.  Thus  Jesus  Christ 
tells  the  penitent  thief  upon  the 
cross,  "to-day  shalt  thou  be 
with  me  in  paradise,"  that  is 
in  the  state  of  the  blessed,  Luke 
xxiii,  43.  And  St.  Paul,  speak- 
ing of  himself  in  the  third  per- 
son, says,  (2  Cor.  xii,  4;)  "I 
knew  a  man  that  was  caught 
up  into  paradise,  and  heard  un- 
speakable words,  which  it  is  not 
Lwful  for  a  man  to  utter." 
Lastly,  Jesus  Christ  in  the  Rev- 
elations, ii,  7,  says,  "to  him 
that  oyercometh  I  will  give  to 
eat  of  the  tree  of  life,  which  is 
in  the  midst  of  the  paradise  of 
God;"  where  allusion  is  made 
to  the  tree  of  life,  that  grew  in 
the  terrestial  paradise. 

Paradise  according  to  the 
original  meaning  of  the  word, 
signifies  an  orchard,  or  planta- 
tion of  fruit  trees.  The  Sep- 
tuagint  makes  use  of  the  word 
paradise  when  they  speak  of  the 


PAR 


PAR 


garden  of  Eden,  which  the 
Lord  planted  at  the  beginning 
of  the  world,  and  placed  Adam 
and  Eve  there;  and  this  famous 
garden  is  commonly  known  by 
the  name  of  the  Terrestial  Par- 
adise. There  has  been  many 
anxious  inquiries,  respecting 
its  situation  some  have  thought, 
that  it  never  existed,  and  that, 
which  is  said  of  it  in  scripture, 
ought  to  be  taken  allegorically. 
Others  believe  it  was  out  of  the 
confines  of  this  world.  Others 
have  pretended,  that  it  was  on- 
ly in  the  beginning,  or  before 
the  creation  of  the  material 
beings.  It  has  been  placed  in 
the  third  heaven,  in  the  orb  of 
the  moon,  in  the  moon  itself, 
in  the  middle  region  of  the 
air,  above  the  earth,  under  the 
earth,  in  a  distant  place  con- 
cealed  from  the  knowledge  of 
men,  in  the  place  which  is  now 
possessed  by  the  Caspian  Sea, 
under  the  arctic  pole,  and  in 
many  places  to  the  utmost 
southern  regions.  There  is 
hardly  any  part  of  the  world, 
in  which  it  has  not  beerr  sought 
for;  in  Asia,  in  Africa,  in  Eu- 
rope, in  America,  in  Tartary, 
upon  the  banks  of  the  Ganges, 
in  the  Indies,  in  China,  in  the 
island  of  Ceylon,  in  Armenia, 
under  the  equator,  in  Mesopo- 
tamia, in  Syria,  in  Persia,  in 
Babylonia,  in  Arabia,  in  Pales- 
tine,  in  Ethiopia,    where  the 


mountains  of  the  jtpoon  are; 
near  the  mountains  of  Libanus, 
Anti-Libanus,  and  Damascus. 
The  learned  authors  of  the 
Universal  History,  in  their  ac- 
count of  rarities,  natural  and 
artificial  in  Syria,  mention,  "a 
spot  which  is  still  shown,  as 
the  place  where  once  stood  the 
garden  of  Eden,  or  terrestial 
paradise.  And  indeed  it  is  in 
all  respects  so  beautiful  and 
rich,  and  yields  so  delightful  a 
prospect  from  the  adjacent  hills 
that  there  is  hardly  another 
place  in  the  world,  that  has  a 
fairer  title  to  the  name  it  bears. 
Its  proximity  to  Damascus,  the 
capital  of  Syria,  near  the  foun- 
tain head  of  the  Jordan;  its  sit- 
uation between  the  Tigris,  or 
Hiddekel,  the  Euphrates,  the 
Phasis,  or  Phison,  the  Araxes, 
orGihon,  (which  last  has  those 
names  from  its  vast  rapidity  a- 
bove  all  other  known  rivers) 
its  bordering  upon  the  land  of 
Chus,  famed  for  its  fine  gold; 
all  these  and  many  other  marks, 
specified  by  Moses,  with  its 
charming  and  surprising  fruit- 
fulness,  and  constant  verdure, 
have  induced  a  great  number 
of  commentators  to  believe," 
that  celebrated  spot  was  in  this 
place,  and  to  deem  it  the  most 
valuable  of  all  natural  rarities 
of  this  country.  Christians, 
however,  need  not  be  told,  that 
howqver  curious    or    amusing 


PAR 


PAR 


this  inquiry  may  be,  the  deter- 
mination of  it  is  of  no  import- 
ance, since  we  are  all  well  as- 
sured, that  the  celestial  para- 
dise is  that  place  of  pure  and 
refined  delight  in  which  the 
souls  of  the  blessed  enjoy  ever- 
lasting happiness .  Of  the  great 
progenitor  we  are  told,  "that 
the  Lord  God  took  the  man 
and  put  him  into  the  garden." 
These  words  plainly  indi- 
cate, that  Adam  was  not  creat- 
ed,within  the  precincts  of  Par- 
adise; and  it  is  afterwards  said 
upon  his  being  turned  out  of  the 
garden,  "he  was  sent  to  till  the 
ground,  whence  he  was  taken." 
Adam  was  doubtless  created 
In  the  prime  of  his  life,  with 
all  his  powers  and  faculties  in 
the  highest  degree  of  strength 
and  vigor.  His  body  would 
be  graceful,  and  well  propor- 
tioned; while  his  countenance 
was  comely,  and  glowed  with 
the  lustre  of  youthful  innocence. 
The  poet  thus  describes  our 
first  parents: 

Adam  the  goodliest  man,  of  men  since  born 
His  sons;  the  fairest  of  her  daughters,  Eve. 

- for  in  their  looks  divine 

The  image  of  their  glorious  Maker  shone. 

MiLTON. 

Moses  introduces  our  first 
parents  into  life,  in  the  most 
natural  manner,  as  having  ca- 
pacities to  acquire  knowledge, 
senses  to  receive  impressions 
from  objects  around  them,  and 
a  sufficient  degree  of  reason  to 


form  a  judgment  of  the  things 
perceived:  yet  all  these  faculties 
can  only  be  considered,  as  so 
many  instruments,  by  the  ex- 
ercise of  which  they  might  be 
enabled  to  discharge  the  duties 
of  their  future  life.  The  fol- 
lowing portrait  of  our  first  pro- 
genitor, when  he  first  came  into 
life,  drawn  by  the  inimitable 
pencil  of  Buffon,  is  extremely 
beautiful,  while  it  is  dissonant, 
from  no  part  of  the  Mosaic 
history.  "Let  us  suppose  a 
man,  in  the  same  situation, 
with  him,  who  first  received 
existence,  a  man  whose  organs 
were  perfectly  formed,  but  who 
was  perfectly  new  to  himself, 
and  to  every  object  which  sur- 
rounded him.  Were  he  to 
give  a  history  of  his  thoughts, 
and  of  the  manner  in  which  he 
received  impressions,  he  might 
give  such  information  as  this. 
I  remember  the  moment,  when 
my  existence  commenced.  It 
was  a  moment  replete  with 
joy,  with  amazement  and  anx- 
iety. I  neither  knew  what  I 
was,  where  I  was,  nor  whence 
I  came;  I  opened  my  eyes. 
But  what  an  amazing  increase 
of  sensation!  the  light,  the  ce- 
lestial vault,  the  verdure  of  the 
earth,  the  transparency  of  the 
waters  gave  animation  to  my 
spirits,  and  conveyed  pleasures, 
which  exceed  the  power  of  ex- 
pression.    At  first  I  believed, 


PAR 


PAR 


that  "all  these  objects  existed 
within  me,  and  formed  a  part 
of  myself.  When,  turning 
mine  eyes  to  the  sun,  his  splen- 
dor overpowered  me.  I  vol- 
untarily shut  out  the  light,  and 
felt  a  small  degree  of  pain. 
During:  this  moment  of  dark- 
ness,  I  imagined  that  I  had 
lost  the  greatest  part  of  my  be- 
ing. I  was  then  roused  with 
a  variety  of  sounds.  The  sing- 
ing of  birds,  and  the  murmur- 
ing breezes  formed  a  concert, 
which  excited  the  most  sweet 
and  enchanting  emotions.  I 
listened  and  was  convinced,  that 
these  harmonious  sounds  exist- 
ed within  me.  I  made  a  step 
forwards;  and  afterwards  re- 
newing my  motion,  I  walked 
with  my  face  turned  towards 
the  heavens,  till  I  struck  against 
a  Palm-tree,  and  felt  some  de- 
gree of  pain.  Seized  with  ter- 
ror, I  ventured  to  lay  my  hand 
upon  the  object,  and  perceiv- 
ed it  to  be  a  being  distinct  from 
myself,  because  it  did  not  seem 
like  touching  my  own  body, 
nor  give  me  a  double  sensation. 
I  resolved  then  to  feel  every 
object  I  saw,  and  had  a  strong 
desire  to  touch  the  sun;  but 
stretching  out  my  hands  to 
embrace  the  heavens,  they  met 
without  any  intermediate  ob- 
ject. All  objects  appeared 
to  me  equally  near,  and  it  was 
not  till  after  many  trials,  that  I 


learned  to  use  my  eyes,  as  a 
guide  to  my  hand.  At  last  the 
train  of  my  ideas  was  interrupt- 
ed, and  I  lost  the  consciousness 
of  my  existence.  My  sleep 
was  profound,  but  having  no 
mode  of  measuring  time,  I 
knew  nothing  of  its  duration. 
When  I  awaked,  I  was  aston- 
ished to  find  by  my  side, 
another  form,  perfectly,  simi- 
lar to  my  own.  I  conceived 
it  to  be  another  self;  and  in- 
stead of  losing  by  my  sleep, 
I  imagined  myself  to  be  doub- 
led. I  ventured  to  lay  my 
hand  upon  this  new  being. 
With  rapture  and  astonish- 
ment, I  perceived  it  wa  s  not 
myself,  but  something  much 
more  glorious  and  desirable." 
This  philosophical  detail  co- 
incides with  the  opinion,  that 
excepting  what  portions  of 
knowledge,  Adam  might  ac- 
quire by  the  exercise  of  his 
senses,  his  Maker  tausrht  him 
every  thing  that  was  necessary 
for  his  comfort  and  subsistence. 
But  before  the  Almighty  gave 
any  instructions  to  our  first 
parents,  we  must  suppose,  he 
inspired  them  with  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  meaning,  of  every 
word,  which  they  heard  him 
speak;  otherwise  it  would  have 
been  impossible,  that  he  could 
have  had  any  such  communica- 
tion with  them.  The  words, 
which  they  heard,   and    were 


PAR 


PAR 


made  to  understand,  being  im- 
printed upon  their  memories, 
would  serve  as  the  foundation 
of  a  language,  which  they  would 
afterwards  increase  and  en- 
large, as  new  objects  began  to 
multiply,  and  hence  give  rise  to 
new  terms  and  definitions. 

One  of  the  first  lessons 
taught  to  Adam  by  his  infallible 
Director,  would  ^e  the  neces- 
sity of  food,  for  the  support  of 
his  life.  Accordingly  Moses 
informs  us,  that  for  this  pur- 
pose a  grant  was  made  him,  to 
eat  of  every  tree  of  the  garden, 
excepting  one.  At  the  same 
time  it  was  made  known  to 
him,  in  what  manner  he  was  to 
repair  the  decays  of  nature, 
namely,  by  eating  of  the  tree  of 
life.  Then,  in  order  to  qualify 
him  for  social  intercourse,  he 
was  ordered  to  exercise  his 
faculty  of  speech  by  giving 
names  to  different  creatures. 
The  author  of  the  book  of  Ec- 
clesiasticus,  says  of  our  first 
parents,  "They  received  the 
use  of  the  five  operations  of  the 
Lord;  and  in  the  sixth,  he  im- 
parted to  them  understanding." 
Our  talents  and  the  exercise  of 
them,  may  be  both  said,  to  be 
given  to  us  by  God;  and  what- 
ever capacities  we,  receive  from 
him,  it  is  supposed  that  we 
ourselves  must  improve  them, 
before  we  can  attain  to  any 
acquirements  whatever.      Al- 


though Adam  had  heard  and 
understood  the  words  of  God, 
yet  Moses  does  not  give  the 
least  hint  that  ever  he  attempt- 
ed to  speak  before  this  time. 
For  if  he  had,  as  some  ima- 
gine, innate  knowledge  and 
proper  terms  for  every  thing, 
presented  to  him,  what  occa- 
sion was  there  to  bring  animals 
before  him,  to  see  what  names 
he  would  impose  upon  them? 
Some  writers  have  endeavored 
to  turn  into  ridicule  the  whole 
of  this  transaction,  and  have 
asked,  how  could  all  creatures 
upon  earth  appear  at  one  time, 
before  Adam?-  Not  only  one, 
but  many  days  would  have 
clipsed,  before  he  could  give 
each  a  mime.  But  this  objec- 
tion arises  from  not  under- 
standing the  words  of  Moses. 
What  our  translators  render 
'to  see  what  he  would  call 
them?  is  in  the  original,  'to 
see  what  name  he  would  call 
it.  And  whatsoever  Adam 
called  it,  (viz.  the  living  crea- 
ture) that  was  the  name  of  it.1 
The  meaning  seems  to  be  no 
more  than  this:  God  brought 
a  few  creatures  to  Adam,  to 
make  him  try  to  name  them; 
and  whatever  he  called  any  of 
them,  that  continued  to  be  its 
name.  And  no  doubt  he  would 
denominate  every  animal  be- 
fore him,  from  its  external  ap- 
pearance, from  its  size,  its  color, 


PAR 


PAR 


«r  its  voice.  And  in  process 
of  time,  he  would  give  names 
to  all  those  creatures,  which 
providence  brought  within  his 
view,  or  with  which  he  after- 
wards became  acquainted. 

The  next  thing  in  which 
God  instructed  Adam,  though 
probably  in  a  trance,  or  vision, 
was  his  near  relation  to  Eve,  as 
being  part  of  his  own  body. 
This  piece  of  knowledge  was 
imparted  to  him,  in  order  to 
cement  the  greater  love  and 
affection,  between  the  two, 
during  the  remaining  period  of 
their  lives. 

These,  according  to  Moses, 
are  all  the  transactions,  in  which 
our  first  parents  were  interest- 
ed, during  their  abode  in  Para- 
dise, till  they  lost  their  inno- 
cence, and  forfeited  the  enjoy- 
ments of  their  happy  situation. 
And  nothing  can  be  more  evi- 
dent, than  that  the  instructions, 
which  they  received,  bespoke 
the  infantile  state  of  their  minds: 
though  there  is  no  doubt,  but 
further  and  higher  •dispensa- 
tions of  knowledge  would  have 
been  communicated  to  them, 
as  they  became  able  to  bear 
them,  and  had  their  minds  ma- 
tured by  experience  and  re- 
flection. 

Moses  gives  us  no  farther 

account  of  Adam's  life,  after 

leaving  the  garden,  but  that  he 

begat  some  children,  and  died 

41 


at  such  an  age.  Yet  we  have 
no  reason  to  doubt,  but  the 
venerable  patriarch  ever  after 
led  a  life  of  penitence  and  of 
the  strictest  piety.  The  vari- 
ous communications  which  he 
had  enjoyed  with  his  Maker  in 
Paradise,  and  which  were  prob- 
ably renewed  to  him  after  his 
fall,  could  not  fail  to  make  the 
deepest  impressions  upon  his 
mind.  The  gracious  respite 
he  had  met  with,  from  the  ex- 
ecution of  the  sentence  denoun- 
ced against  him,  would  make 
him  cautious  of  offending  for 
the  time  to  come;  lest  the 
next  violation  of  the  Divine 
authority,  should  put  an  end  to 
his  existence.  The  cherubim 
and  flaming  sword,  or  the  de- 
vouring flame  on  the  east  of 
Eden  (which  might  continue 
burning  all  his  life)  would  be 
to  him  what  the  vestiges  of  the 
ark  were  to  Noah  and  his  sons, 
an  awful  memorial  of  the  dan- 
ger of  incurring  the  Divine  dis- 
pleasure. Besides,  his  worldly 
comforts  being  in  a  great 
measure  withdrawn,  his  mind 
would  be  naturally  disposed 
for  relishing  those  pieasu.es, 
which  flow  from  piety  and  reli- 
gion. 

It  may  not  be  improper, 
however,  in  this  place  to  give 
a  description  of  the  Paradise  of 
the  Mahometans.  The  sen- 
suality and  absurdity  of  that 


PAR 


PAR 


impostor,  must  be  apparent  to 
all  men.  Their  religion  has 
no  consistency  in  its  parts,  and 
the  description  of  the  future 
enjoyment  of  the  faithful,  are 
miserable  instances  of  human 
Weakness  and  folly. 

"The  Paradise  of  the  Mahom- 
etans, is  by  them  said  to  be 
situated  above  the  seven  heav- 
ens, or  in  the  seventh,  and  next 
under  the  throne  of  God;  and 
to  express  the  amenity  of  the 
place,  they  tell  us,    that    the 
earth  of  it  is  of  the  finest  wheat 
flour,  or  of  the  purest  musk,  or 
of  saffron;    and  that  its  stones 
are  pearls   and    jacinths,    the 
walls  of  its  buildings  enriched 
with  gold  and  silver,  and  the 
trunks  of  all  its  trees  of  gold, 
among  which  the  most  remark- 
able is  the  tree  Tuba,  or  tree 
of  happiness.      They  pretend 
that  this  tree  stands  in  the  pal- 
ace  of  Mahomet,    though    a 
branch  of  it  will  reach  to  the 
house  of  every  true  believer, 
loaded      with      pomegranites, 
dates,  grapes,  and  other  fruits 
of  surprising  bigness,  and  de- 
licious tastes,  unknown  to  mor- 
tals.    If  a  man  desires  to  eat 
of  any  particular  kind  of  fruit, 
it  will  immediately  be  present- 
ed to  him;    or  if  he   chooses 
flesh,  birds  ready  dressed  will 
be  set  before  him,  and  such  as 
he  may  wish  for.     They  add 
that  this  tree  will  supply  the 


blessed,  not  only  with  fruit,  but 
with  silk   garments  also,    and 
beasts  to  ride  on,  adorned  with 
rich  trappings,  all  which  will 
burst  forth  from  the  fruit;  and 
that  the  tree  is  so  large,  that  a 
person  mounted  on  the  fleetest 
horse  would    not   be   able   to 
gallop  from  one  end  of  its  shade 
to    the    other    in   100    years. 
Plenty  of  water  being  one  of 
the  greatest   additions   to   the 
pleasantness  of  any  place,   the 
Alcoran   often  speaks   of  the 
rivers  of  Paradise,  as  the  prin- 
cipal   ornaments.       Some    of 
these  rivers  are  said   to   flow 
with  water,  some    with  wine, 
and  others  with  honey:  all  of 
them  have  their  sources  in  the 
root  of  this  tree  of  happiness; 
and  as  if  these  rivers  were  not 
sufficient,  we  are  told  that  the 
garden  of  this  Paradise  is  also 
watered  by  a  great  number  of 
less    springs     and    fountains, 
whose  pebbles  are  rubies  and 
emeralds,  their  earth  of  cam- 
phor, their  beds  of  musk,  and 
their  sides.of  saffron.     But  all 
those  glories  will  be  eclipsed, 
by  the  resplendent  and  exqui- 
site beauty  of  the  girls  of  Par- 
adise, the  enjoyment  of  whose 
company,  will  constitute    the 
principal  felicity  of  the  faithful. 
These  (say  they)  are  not  form- 
ed of  clay,  as  mortal  women, 
but  of  pure  musk;  and  are,  as 
their  prophet  often   affirms  in 


PAR 


PAR 


his  Alcoran,  free  from  all  the 
natural  defects  and  inconve- 
niences  incident  to  the  sex. 
Being  also  of  the  strictest  mod- 
esty, they  keep  themselves  se- 
cluded from  public  view,  in 
pavilions  of  hollow  pearls,  so 
large  that,  as  some  traditions 
have  it,  one  of  them  will  be  no 
less  than  16,  or  as  others  say, 
60  miles  long,  and  as  many 
broad.  With  these  the  inhab- 
itants of  Paradise  may  taste 
pleasures  in  their  height;  and 
lor  this  purpose  will  be  endow- 
ed with  extraordinary  abilities, 
and  enjoy  a  perpetual  youth." 
The  inquiry  remains,  Where 
was  Paradise?  The  Compiler 
is  far  from  being  sanguine  him- 
self, and  cannot,  therefore,  be 
expected  to  satisfy  his  readers. 
From  a  writer,  more  distin- 
guished for  his  pietv,  than  his 
profound  skill  in  geography,  I 
give  the  following  quotation. 
"We,"  saithhe,  "suppose  that 
Paradise  stood  in  F.den,  in 
Chaldea,  at  the  conflux  of  the 
Tigris,  or  Hiddekel  and  the 
Euphrates,  or  a  little  beiow  it. 
Here  we  find  two  of  Moses's 
rivers  by  name,  and  below  we 
find  that  the  stream  was  parted 
into  two  large  divisions,  the 
eastern  one  may  have  been  the 
Gihon,  and  the  western,  the 
Pison."  [Brown.)  It  may  be 
proper  to  observe  that  when 
some  of  these  rivers  are  said  to 


compass  sueh  lands,  the  word 
may  be  rendered,  runs  along t 
i.  e.  along  the  side,  and  Hidde- 
kel went  not  to  the  east  of  As- 
syria, but  ran  from  Assyria 
eastward,  or  run  before  Assyria, 
i.  e.  between  Moses  and  As- 
syria, Gen.  ii,  11 — 14.  But 
pray  what  has  this  to  do  with 
the  description  of  Moses.  Here 
you  have  two  rivers  above  the 
garden,  and  two  below;  but 
the  scripture  says  that  one  river 
went  out  of  Eden,  and  after- 
wards parted  and  became  foury 
not  two.  Most  writers  seem 
to  have  supposed,  that  four 
rivers  watered  the  gaidcn,  and 
that  four  proceeded  from  it, 
but,  does  the  sacred  text  re- 
quire such  a  singalar  place  to 
be  discovered?  Directed  by 
such  an  opinion,  the  learned 
Reland  repairs  to  America  to 
find  this  garden  in  such  a 
place,  and  with  him  Calmet 
agrees.  In  the  immense  swell 
of  mountains  in  that  country 
large  rivers  of  course  have 
their  rise,  and  proceed  in  every 
direction.  There  he  finds  the 
source  of  the  Euphrates,  the 
Tigris,  the  Phasis,  and  the  Ar- 
axes;  b.ut  they  do  not  rise  frum 
one  head,  they  flow  in  different 
courses,  and  are  never  united 
in  one  stream;  but  Eden  lay  on 
one  stream,  was  watered  only 
by  one  stream;  this  stream 
after    leaving    that  region,  at 


PAR 


FAR 


how  great  a  distance  we  know 
not,  but  before  it  entered  the 
ocean,  was  divided  into  four 
parts,  and  disembogued  its 
waters  by  four  mouths  or 
"heads."  Since  it  is  a  fact  well 
known  that  rivers  are  now  fre- 
quently changing  their  channels, 
sometimes  running  in  one, 
sometimes  in  several  channels, 
and  since  in  the  early  ages, 
when  these  streams  were  larger, 
and  the  earth  less  settled  and 
solid,  their  courses  were  prob- 
ably less  fixed,  is  it  to  be  sup- 
posed that  we  shall  now  find 
the  river,  or  rivers  of  Eden, 
running  in  the  same  channels 
as  in  the  time  of  Moses?  When 
the  ponds  and  lakes  of  the 
globe  which  filled  the  hollows 
and  v  lilies  began  to  burst  their 
ba  riers,  to  rush  from  one  val- 
ley to  another  to  find  the  sea, 
they,  probably,  in  some  instan- 
ces overflowed  large  tracts,  and 
often  ran  in  many  channels. 
By  degrees  some  one  of  these 
channels,  having  a  larger  col- 
umn of  water,  or  a  softer  soil, 
became  deeper  than  the  rest, 
and  of  course  drew  the  waters 
from  the  other  channels;  the 
ponds  and  lakes  were  exhaust- 
ed, and  a  regular  stream  was 
formed.  But  even  to  this  day, 
very  often,  near  the  sources  of 
rivers,  where  the  force  of  the 
waters  to  form  a  deep  channel 
to  exhaust  the  fountains  was 


weaker,  a  few  of  the  ponds  and 
lakes  still  remain,  as  at  the 
head  of  the  Parker,  the  Merri- 
mac,  the  Amariscoggin,  the 
Kenebec,  and  Penobscot.  In- 
stead, therefore,  of  searching 
for  the  river  of  Eden,  shall  we 
not  more  probably  ascertain 
the  spot  by  attending  to  other 
characteristics  of  the  place,  and 
by  exploring  the  course  of  the 
first  colonies  of  men,  and  lis- 
tening to  the  traditions  of  those 
cou  nti  ies?  See  India  and  Eden. 
PARAN,  or  El-paran,  a 
desert  of  Arabia  Petrea,  to  the 
south  of  the  Land  of  Promise, 
and  to  the  north-east  of  the  gulf 
Elanitis.  Chedalaomer  and  his 
allies,  coming  to  make  war  with 
the  kings  of  Pentapolis,  ravaged 
the  country,  as  far  as  the  plains 
of  Paran,  Gen.  xiv,  6.  Hagar 
being  sent  away  from  the  house 
of  Abraham,  retired  into  the 
wilderness  of  Paran,  where  she 
lived  with  her  son  Ishmael, 
Gen.  xxi,  23.  The  Israelites 
having  decamped  from  Sinai, 
came  into  the  desert  of  Paran, 
Numb,  x,  12.  It  was  from 
hence  that  Moses  sent  out  spies 
to  bring  intelligence  concerning 
the  Land  of  Promise,  Numb, 
xiii,  3,  26,  and  consequently, 
Kadesh  is  in  the  wilderness  of 
Paran;  since  it  was  from  Ka- 
desh that  these  men  were  sent. 
Moses  seems  to  place  mount 
Sinai  in  the  country  of  Paran, 


PAk 


PAR 


when  he  says,  (Deut.xxxiii,  2) 
that  the  Lord  appeared  to  the 
Israelites  upon  the  mount  of 
Paran,  Habbakuk  iii,  3,  seems 
to  say  the  same  thing.  When 
David  was  persecuted  by  Saul, 
he  withdrew  into  the  wilder- 
ness of  Paran,  near  Maon  and 
Carmel,  1  Sam.  xxv,  12.  Ha- 
dad,  son  of  the  king  of  Edom, 
was  carried,  when  a  child,  into 
Egypt,  1  Kings  xi,  18.  Those, 
who  conducted  him,  came  from 
the  eastern  parts  of  Idumea, 
into  the  country  of  Midian, 
thence  into  the  country  of  Pa- 
ran, and  then  into  Egypt;  the 
greatest  part  of  the  habitations 
of  this  country  were  dug  in  the 
ground  orin  therocks,according 
to  Josephus;  and  it  was  there, 
that  Simon  of  Gerasi  gathered 
together  all  that  he  took  from 
his  enemies.  Dr.  Shaw  sup- 
poses,that  Paran  extended  from 
Kadesh  to  Sinai,  which  is  about 
110  miles.  Near  Sinai  were 
bushes  or  shrubs,  but  in  gen- 
eral it  was  a  naked  desert. 

Paran,  a  city  of  Arabia  Pe- 
trea,  situated  at  three  days  jour- 
ney from  the  city  of  Elah  to- 
wards the  east.  Eusebius  tells 
us,  it  was  this  city  that  gave 
name  to  the  desert  of  Paran. 
Bonfrerius  seems  to  suppose, 
that  to  chis  place  Moses  pro- 
posed to  march  the  Israelites  to 
offer  sacrifice.  Not  in  the  de- 
sert of  Paran,  because  that  was 


more  than  three  days  journey 
distant,  and  destitute  of  all  con- 
veniences; but  in  the  desert  of 
Sinai,  and  city  of  Paran  the 
sacrifices  must  be  offered,  as 
God  had  commanded. 

PARTHIA,  had  Media  on 
the  west,  Hyrcania  on  the  north, 
Aria  or  Ariana  on  the  east,  and 
the  desert  of  Carmania,  now 
Karman,  on  the  south.  It  is 
thought  by  some,  that  the  Par- 
tisans were  chiefly  the  descend- 
ants of  those  ferocious  Gauls, 
or  French,  who  broke  into  A- 
sia,  a  part  of  whom  settled  in 
Galatia.  Others  think  them  of 
Persian  original.  About  A.M. 
3754,  Arsaces,  a  noble  Parthi- 
an, revolted  from  Antiochus 
Theos  of  Syria,  and  erected  a 
kingdom  for  himself.  This, 
became  a  terror  to  Roman  vet- 
erans, and  sometimes  carried 
its  conquests  from  the  Helles- 
pont to  the  Euphrates,  and  even 
to  the  Indus,  and  on  the  other 
side  triumphed  over  Egypt  and 
Lybia.  This  government  was 
crushed  about  A.  D.  232,  by 
Artaxerxes,  the  Persian.  Again 
Parthia  was  overrun  by  the  Sar- 
acens about  640.  The  ancient 
Parthia  is  now  the  Persian  Irak, 
situate  in  the  heart  of  the  em- 
pire. This  tract  is  about  600 
miles  long,  and  450  broad.  The 
country  is  son1  ewhat  hilly;  but 
the  air  is  healthy.  Ispahan  is 
the  capital,  and  Cashan,  Hamr 


PAT 


Pat 


dan,  and  other  cities  are  places 
of  note.  Probably  the  Jews 
from  Parthia,  who  heard  Pe- 
ter's celebrated  sermon,  carried 
home  some  knowledge  of  the 
Christian  faith;  but  for  many 
ages  there  has  been  but  little  of 
Christianity  here,except  among 
the  Armenian  merchants,  who 
settle  here  for  traffic.  This 
commercial  people  are  found 
in  almost  every  part  of  Asia, 
and  vast  numbers  of  them  in  all 
their  wanderings  support  the 
Christian  profession. 

PARTHIANS,  the  same 
with  the  Persians,  known  in 
scripture  by  the  name  of  Elam- 
ites,  till  towards  the  time  of  Cy- 
rus. They  were  called  Per- 
sians in  the  time  of  the  prophets; 
and  Parthians  about  the  time 
of  our  Savior.  However,  the 
name  Parthians  we  meet  with 
only  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles, 
ii,  9,  where  they  appear  as  dis- 
tinct from  the  Elamites,  though 
they  were  originally  but  one 
people. 

PARVAIM,  from  this  place 
Solomon  had  his  gold  with 
which  he  covered  the  inside  of 
the  temple.  Perhaps  it  was 
Ophir,  or  Parbacia  in  Havilah. 

PASDAMMIM,  a  city  of 
Palestine  in  the  tribe  of  Judah. 
It  was  probably  an  ancient  a- 
sylum. 

PATARA,  a  maritime  city 
of  Lycia,  which   once    had  a 


good  harbor  and  numerous 
temples.  Acts  xxi,  1.  St.  Paul 
in  his  passage  from  Philippi  to 
Jerusalem,  came  to  Miletus, 
thence  to  Coos,  thence  to 
Rhodes,  and  from  Rhodes  to 
Patara,  where  having  found  a 
ship  that  was  bound  for  Phoe- 
nicia, he  went  on  board,  and 
arrived  at  Jerusalem,  to  be  at 
the  feast  of  Pentecost.  This 
town  stood  near  the  mouth  of 
the  river  Xanthus,  and  was  the 
capital  of  the  province,  being 
famous  for  an  oracle,  dedicated 
to  Apollo.  It  was  in  this,  a 
rival  of  Delphos;  that  being 
consulted  in  the  summer,  this, 
in  the  winter.  It  is  now  an 
inconsiderable  town.  Chris- 
tianity prevailed  here  from  the 
fourth  to  the  ninth  century;  but 
the  Saracens  have  trodden  this 
vine  in  the  dust. 

PATHROS,  a  city  and 
canton  of  Egypt,  of  which  the 
prophets  Jeremiah  and  Ezekiel 
make  mention,  Jer.  xliv,  1, 15; 
Ezek.  xxix,  14;  xxx,  14.  We 
do  not  very  well  know  its  sit- 
uation, though  Pliny  and  Ptol- 
emy the  geographer,  speak  of 
it  by  the  name  of  Phaturis; 
and  according  to  Bochart  it 
appears  to  have  been  in  Upper 
Egypt.  Isai.  xi,  2,  calls  it 
Pathros;  and  it  is  the  country 
of  the  Pathrusim,  the  posterity 
of  Mizraim,  of  whom  Moses 
speaks,  Gen.  x,  14.     Ezekiel 


PAT 


PAT 


threatens  them  with  an  entire 
ruin.  The  Jews  retired  thither, 
notwithstanding  the  remon- 
strances of  Jeremiah;  and  the 
Lord  says  by  Isaiah,  that  he 
will  bring  them  back  from 
thence. 

Pathros,  the  name  of  a 
region  called  Arabia  Petrea, 
Isai.  xi,  11. 

PATMOS,Pathmos,Pal- 
mosa,  and  now  Patmosa,  or 
Patino,  is  an  island  of  the  ar- 
chipelago, on  the  west  of  Na- 
tolia,  between  Samos  and  Ni- 
caria,  10  miles  south-west  from 
this  last  island,  being  twenty- 
five  miles  in  compass.  Its 
whole  population  is  about  3000 
souls.  Its  chief  importance  a- 
rises  from  its  excellent  harbors; 
but  so  miserably  imbecile  is 
the  Turkish  government,  under 
which  this  island  has  fallen,  that 
the  people  cannot  avail  them- 
selves of  their  ports.  TheBar- 
bary  corsairs  have  driven  the 
islanders  from  their  chief  towns 
to  the  hill  where  St.  John's 
monastery  stands.  This  mo- 
nastery is  really  a  citadel,  con- 
sisting of  several  strong  towers. 
It  has  an  annual  revenue  of  six 
thousand  crowns,  and  supports 
one  hundred  monks.  Over  the 
gate  of  the  convent  are  two  large 
bells,  which  is  a  remarkable  in- 
dulgence in  Turkey,  arising 
from  their  great  veneration  for 
St.  John.     It  was  to  this  island, 


that  this  apostle  was  banished 
by  the  emperor  Domitian,  A. 
D.  94;  being  on  account  of  its 
dreadful  rocks  and  shelves,  one 
of  the  places  to  which  the  Ro- 
mans used  to  banish  their  state 
prisoners  and  criminals.  Here 
it  was,  that  the  book  of  Reve- 
lation was  written;  a  manuscript 
of  which  is  carefully  preserved 
here,  and  shown  to  strangers. 
They  profess  to  show,  likewise, 
the  pulpit  in  which  he  preached, 
and  the  font  in  which  he  bap- 
tized. They  also  show  a  cave 
here  in  which  they  tell  you, 
Cynops,  a  great  magician,  hid 
himself  all  the  time  that  the 
apostle  remained  in  the  island. 
The  Greeks  believe,  that  the 
place  has  been  haunted  ever 
since  his  departure.  The  en- 
trance into  the  Hermitage  of  the 
Apocalypse,  as  it  is  called,  is 
strait,  being  cut  in  the  solid  rock, 
and  leads  into  the  chapel,  which 
is  8  or  9  paces  long,  and  5  wide, 
with  a  handsome  roof  in  the 
Gothic  style.  On  the  left  is 
the  grot  of  St.  John,  the  en- 
trance into  which  is  7  feet  high, 
supported  by  a  pillar  in  the 
middle. 

In  this  island  are  neither 
Turks  nor  Latins;  the  whole 
administration  of  civil  affairs  is 
entrusted  to  one  or  two  Greek 
officers,  whose  chief  business 
is  to  look  after  the  poll  tax, 
which  amounts  to  8000  crowns, 


FAT 


PAT 


and  the  land  tax  to  2000  more, 
beside  some  presents,  which 
must  be  made  to  the  captain 
bashaw,  and  his  officers,  who 
are  ready  enough  to  extort  the 
last  cent.  Being  a  barren  heap 
of  rocks,  this  island  might  have 
continued  for  ever  unnoticed, 
but  for  St.  John.  Only  a  few 
vallies  are  capable  of  some  cul- 
tivation. It  abounds,  however, 
with  partridges,  rabbits,  quails, 
turtles,  pigeons,  and  snipes. 
Patmos  has  an  excellent  har- 
bor. The  town,  containing 
two  hundred  houses,  is  in  the 
centre  of  the  island,  5000  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea,  be- 
ing built  of  free  white  stone,  it 
makes  a  pleasant  appearance. 
The  inhabitants  of  the  convent 
are  in  reality  the  sovereigns 
of  the  country;  their  domains 
would  not  be  sufficient  for  their 
maintenance,  were  it  not  for 
the  possession  of  some  lands  in 
the  neighboring  isles,  and  the 
certain  tribute  they  derive  from 
the  superstition  of  the  Greeks. 
They  have  a  college  here  for 
young  men  of  the  Greek  per- 
suasion. These  monks,  called 
caloyers,  are  spread  over  all 
Greece.  Scarce  any  of  them 
can  read;  yet  they  all  under- 
stand, how  far  the  empire  of 
superstition,  can  extend  over 
ignorant  minds.  They  keep 
their  credulous  countrymen  in 
the   most  absolute  subjection. 


They  are  even  accomplices  in 
their  crimes,  the  profits  of  which 
they  share,  and  sometimes  en- 
gross. Not  one  of  the  pirati- 
cal vessels  is  without  a  caloyer, 
in  order  to  give  them  absolu- 
tion in  the  very  instant  of  com- 
mitting the  most  dreadful 
crimes.  The  Hermitage  of  the 
Apocalypse  is  on  the  declivity  of 
a  mountain,  between  the  con- 
vent and  the  port  of  Scala.  It 
leads  to  the  church  of  the  apoc- 
alypse, which  is  supported  a- 
gainst  a  grotto  in  the  rocks. 
The  women  of  Patmos,  who 
are  to  the  men  as  five  to  one, 
(or  as  others  say,  twenty)  are 
naturally  pretty,  and  would  be 
agreeable  to  strangers,  were  it 
not  for  their  excessive  use  of 
paint,  with  which  they  perfect- 
ly disfigure  themselves.  A 
merchant  of  Merseilles  hav- 
ing married  one  of  them  for 
her  beauty,  they  imagined, 
that  not  a  stranger  could 
land  in  their  island,  but  with 
similar  views.  Now  a  stranger 
no  sooner  appears  in  the  streets, 
than  every  door  is  closely  shut 
against  him.  Lorn  26,  21, 
east.   Lat.  37,  24,  north. 

Thevenot.  Wittman. 
PATREA,  a  city  of  Achaia, 
standing  on  a  hill,  near  the  sea, 
10  miles  from  the  gulf  of  Le- 
panto.  In  the  reign  of  pagan- 
ism, a  young  man  and  maid 
were  every  year  sacrificed  here 


PEL 


PEL 


to  Diana.  St.  Andrew  preach- 
ed here,  and  the  pustom  was 
laid  aside.  Kimpton. 

PAU,  a  city  of  Edom,  the 
habitation  of  king  Adar,  Gen. 
.\xxvi,  39. 

PELETHITES,  the  Pele- 
thites  and  Cherethites  were  fa- 
mous under  the  reign  of  king 
David.  They  were  the  most 
valiant  in  the  army  of  that  pric.ee, 
and  had  the  guard  of  his  per- 
son. For  the  opinions  of  com- 
mentators concerning  these 
bands,  see  the  article  Chere- 
thims. 

We  are  assured  that  Camby- 
ses,  king  of  Persia,  invading 
Egypt,  and  resolving  to  take 
Pelusium,  he  devised  this  stra- 
tagem. In  an  assault  against 
the  town,  he  placed  a  great 
number  of  cats,  dogs,  sheep, 
and  such  other  animals,  as  the 
Egyptians  held  sacred,  in  the 
front  of  his  troops.  Thus  the 
soldiers,  that  defended  this  city 
being  Egyptians,  durst  not 
throw  their  lances  or  shoot  their 
arrows  for  fear  of  wounding 
some  of  those  animals.  By  this 
mean,  Cambyses  became  mas- 
ter of  the  place.  Lat.  31,  5. 
PELL  A,  a  city  beyond  Jor- 
dan. Pliny  places  it  in  Deca- 
polis,  and  commends  it  for  its 
fine  wa  ers.  Stephanus  places 
it  in  Ccelo  Syria.  There  is 
nothing  inconsistent  in  this, 
nor  in  what  others  affirm,  that 
42 


Pella  was  in  Perea  in  Batanea, 
in  the  country  of  Basan.  Per- 
haps also,  when  Josephus  speaks 
of  Pella  in  the  country  of  Mo- 
ab,  he  means  the  city  of  which 
we  are  speaking,  which  was 
situated  in  Perea  in  Batanea,  in 
the  country  of  Basan,  which 
profane  authors  sometimes  call 
Coelo  Syria,  and  in  the  coun- 
try,which  belonged  to  the  Am- 
monites, the  brethren  and  allies 
of  the  Mcabites;  unless  he  con- 
founds Pella  with  Abila,  in  the 
country  of  Moab,  called  by 
Moses  Abel-shittim,  Numb, 
xxxiii,  49.  As  to  the  situa- 
tion of  Pella,  it  was  between 
Jabesh  and  Gerasa,  six  miles 
from  Jabesh. 

It  was  also  of  the  number  of 
the  ten  cities,  known  by  geog- 
raphers, as  also  in  the  gospel,  by 
the  name  of  Decapolis,  Matt. 
iv,  25;   Mark  v,  20. 

Josephus  relates,  that  under 
the  reign  of  Alexander  Janne- 
us,  the  Jews  were  masters  of 
Pella,  and  destroyed  it,  because 
the  inhabitants  would  not  em- 
brace Judaism.  The  first 
Christians  having  been  fire- 
warned  by  our  Savior  that  Je- 
rusalem should  be  demolished, 
took  refuge  at  Pella,  as  soon  as 
they  saw  the  fire  of  war  kindled. 
Epiphanius  says,  that  the  dis- 
ciples were  warned  by  the  rev- 
elation of  an  angel  to  withdraw 
thither.     This    city  belonged 


PEL 


PEL 


to   the    kingdom   of  Agrippa, 
who  assisted  the  Romans. 

I  suspect  that  Pella  takes 
its  name  from  Abila,  or  Abela. 
There  were  more  cities  than 
one  named  Abila;  but  the  one, 
I  mean,  is  called  by  geogra- 
phers, Abila  of  Batanea,  and  in 
scripture,  Abel  of  the  vines. 
Polybius  distinguishes  Abila 
from  Pella,  since  he  says,  that 
Antioehus  the  Great,  took  Pel- 
la, Kamos,  Gephros,  Abila, 
Gadara,  &c.  Stephanus  the 
geographer  says,  that  the  city 
•of  Pella  had  Alexander  the 
Great,  for  its  founder,  proba- 
bly, in  the  memory  of  the  city 
of  Pella,  in  Thessaly,  where 
he  was  born.  Abila  and  Pel- 
la were  afterwards  episcopal 
cities  of  the  second  Palestine. 
Josephus  says,  that  Pella  was 
one  of  the  seven  toparchies  of 
Judea;  but  elsewhere,  he  calls 
it  Betlephtepha,  and  Pliny  gives 
it  the  same  name.  It  is  un- 
known where  Betlephtepha 
was.  The  name  of  Pella  is 
not  in  scripture;  but  it  is  men- 
tioned here,  because  often  re- 
ferred to  in  this  work,  and  is 
frequently  mentioned  by  reli- 
gious writers,  as  the  asylum 
of  the  Christians  in  Jerusalem, 
in  the  siege  of  Titus. 

PELON,  a  city  of  Judea, 
1  Chron.   xi,  36. 

PELUSIUM,acity  of  Egypt 
at  the  mouth  of  the  eastern  arm 
of  the  Nile,  the  nearest  to  Pales- 


tine. Pelusium,  otherwise  Da- 
mietta,was  the  key  of  Egyp<-,  to- 
wards Phoenicia  and  Judea.  Eze. 
(xxx,  15,  16,)  speaks  of  it  un- 
der the  name  of  Sin,  Lutum, 
Pelusium,  and  calls  it  the  ram- 
part, or  strength  of  Egypt;  The 
Hebrew  word,  Sin,  which  sig- 
nifies mudfinswers  to  the  Greek 
Pelusium,  from  Pelos,  of  the 
same  signification.  The  Sep- 
tuagint  read  Sais,  instead  of 
Sin,  in  this  place.  Scripture 
speaks  of  the  desert  of  Sin,  be- 
tween Elim  and  Sinai,  Exod. 
xvi,  1;  Numb,   xxx,  11. 

Ezekiel  pronounces  against 
Pelusium,  '•''And  I  will  pour  my 
fury  upon  Sin,  the  strength  of 
Egypt,  and  will  cut  ojf  the 
multitude  of  No.  And  i  will 
set  fire  in  Egypt,  Sin  shall 
have  great  pain"  &c.  It  is 
thought  these  threats  regarded 
the  expedition  of  Nebuchad- 
nezzar, against  this  country. 
For  the  Lord  had  said  to  Eze- 
kiel, (xxix,  18,  19)  "Son  of 
man,  behold, I  will  give  the  land 
of  Egypt  unto  Nebuchadnez- 
zar king  of  Babylon;  and  he 
shall  take  her  multitude,  and 
take  her  spoil,  and  take  her 
prey:  and  it  shall  be  the  wages 
for  his  army."  Pelusium,  by 
its  situation,  suffered  the  first 
efforts  of  the  king  of  Babylon, 
and  of  the  Chaldean  army. 

Before  Nebuchadnezzar's 
time,  Pelusium  had  been  at- 
tacked by  Sennacherib,  king  of 


PEN 


PER 


Assyria.  This  prince  attacked 
Sethon,  otherwise  Severus, 
king  of*  Egypt,  and  besieged 
Pelusium.  Sethon  was  a  prince 
void  of  prudence,  and  little  ca- 
pable of  government:  he  had 
alienated  the  minds  of  his  sol- 
diers, and  was  forsaken  by  all, 
who  could  defend  him.  Hav- 
ing addressed  himself  to  Julian, 
whose  priest  he  was,  he  was 
bid  to  advance  to  Pelusium  to 
meet  Sennacherib,  and  God 
would  send  him  assistance. 
He  therefore  put  himseif  at  the 
head  of  such  people  as  he  could, 
and  God  sent  against  Sennache- 
rib's army  a  great  multitude  of 
rats,  which  in  the  night  time 
gnawed  the  strings  of  the  bows, 
and  the  thongs  of  the  bucklers, 
of  the  Assyrians,  by  which 
their  arms  became  useless  to 
them.  This  is  what  the  Egyp- 
tians related.  But  the  sacred 
books  of  the  Hebrews  inform 
us,  that  an  angel  of  the  Lord, 
in  one  night  slew  eighty-five 
thousand  men  of  Sennacherib's 
army,  2  Kings  xix,  35. 

PENIEL,  or  Penuel,  a' 
city  beyond  Jordan,  near  the 
ford  or  brook  Jabbok. 

PENTAPOLIS,  a  name 
given  to  the  five  cities,  Sodom, 
G  miorrah,  Admah,  Zeboim, 
and  Zoar,  which  stood  where 
the  waters  of  the  Dead  Sea, 
now  extend  themselves.  These 
towns  for  their  great  wicked- 
ness  were   destroved  by  fire, 


volcanic  eruptions,  and  sinking 
of  the  earth,  Gen.  xiii,    19. 

PERAEA,  a  province  of 
Palestine  on  the  east  side  of 
Jordan,  bounded  north  by  Itu- 
rea,  west  b\  Judea,  and  Sama- 
ria. This  country  was  the  lot 
of  Gad  and  Reuben. 

PERGA,  an  inland  city  of 
Pamphilia,  standing  on  the  river 
Caystrus,  mentioned  in  Acts 
xiii,  14.  Strabo  speaks  of  the 
temple  of  Diana  at  Perga,  sit- 
uated on  an  eminence  near  the 
city;  and  in  this  town  Paul  and 
Barnabas  frequently  preached; 
and  to  the  close  of  the  eighth 
century,  we  find  a  Christian 
church  supported  in  the  place. 
This  was  one  of  the  most  con- 
siderable towns  of  the  prov- 
ince.    Lat  37,  50. 

PERGAMUS,  now  Perga- 
mo,  a  cily  of  Natolia,  in  the 
province  of  Troas.  It  stands 
on  a  spacious  plain,  near  the 
banks  of  the  Caicus,  and  shel- 
tered to  the  north  by  a  consid- 
erable hill.  This  was  once  the 
royal  city  of  a  powerful  king- 
dom, swaying  its  sceptre  over 
the  provinces  of  Mvsia,  iEolis, 
Ionia,  Lydia,  and  Caria.  Va- 
rious circumstances  contribut- 
ed to  give  celebrity  to  this 
place.  It  wras  the  birthplace 
of  Galen,  the  famous  physician; 
here  parchment  was  invented, 
and  its  royal  library  contained 
200,000  vol u mcs.  This  place 
very  early  received  the  gospel. 


PER 


PER 


and  a  church  was  formed  here; 
but  she  soon  forsook  her  first 
love,  and  departed  from  the 
purity  of  the  gospel,  on  which 
account  a  severe  doom  was 
pronounced  against  her,  Rev. 
ii,  12,  "And  to  the  angel  of  the 
church  in  Pergamus  write; 
these  things  saith  he,  who  hath 
the  sharp  sword,  with  two 
edges,"  &c.  Surrounded  with 
a  fertile  country,  which  with 
proper  cultivation  would  be  an 
earthly  paradise,  the  present 
inhabitants  of  Pergamus  abhor 
labor  and  addict  themselves  to 
thefts  and  ro1  belies,  being 
more  pleased  to  seize  a  booty 
in  their  plains  with  rapine  and 
violence,  than  with  honest  la- 
bor to  purchase  their  bread,  by 
cultivating  the  rich  clods  of 
their  native  soil;  so  that  this 
city  goes  more  and  more  to 
decay,  merely  for  want  of  in- 
dustry; a  few  years  past,  there 
were  53  streets  of  this  town 
inhabited;  now  there  are  only 
22  frequented,  the  others  are 
deserted,  and  their  buildings 
are  going  to  ruin.  Here  are 
many  remains  of  antique  build- 
ings, such  as  vast  pillars  of 
marble  subverted.  One  place 
seems  to  have  been  a  palace, 
still  denoted  by  columns  of 
polished  maibie,  which  like 
buttresses  support  the  wall  for  at 
least  50  paces  in  length.  There 
are  also  the  ruins  of  seveial 
churches,  one  of  which,  more 


spacious  and  magnificent  than 
the  rest,  is  by  tradition  of  the 
Greeks,  reported  to  have  been 
dedicated  to  St.  John,  and  a- 
nother  to  St.  Demetrius,  both 
which  the  Turks  have  relin- 
quished; the  first  because  (as 
report  goes)  the  walls  fall,  as 
much  by  night,  as  they  are 
built  by  day,  and  the  other, 
because  the  door  of  Menareth, 
or  the  steeple,  which  is  above, 
where  they  call  to  prayers, 
points  always  towards  Mecca, 
(which  is  S.  E.)  did  in  a  mir- 
aculous manner,  after  it  was 
built,  turn  itself  north,  to  which 
that  door  now  looks;  but  what 
deceit  may  have  been  contrived 
by  the  Greeks,  I  am  not  able 
to  aver.  There  are  also  vast 
ruins  without  the  city  of  arched 
work;  and  some  remains  of  a 
theatre;  it  is  probable,  that 
such  vast  piles  of  buildings  are 
relics  of  public  edifices. 
Through  the  upper  part  of  the 
city  runs  a  verv'  plentiful  stream 
of  water,  which  in  many  places 
was  honored  by  antiquity,  with 
magnificent  arches  in  form  of 
a  bridge.  It  is  observable  that 
in  the  city  are  many  vaults, 
under  almost  every  house  and 
street;  which  have  been  either 
cisterns  or  conveyances  for  wa- 
ter. 

The  description  of  another 
traveller  is  more  particular,  but 
in  both  we  read  the  execution 
of  the  Divine  threatening,  "Re- 


PER 


PEU 


pent,  or  else  I  will  come  unto 
thee  quickly  and  fight  against 
thee  with  the  sword  of  my 
mouth."  "They  eat  things 
sacrificed  to  idols,  and  com- 
mitted fornication,  and  held  the 
doctrine  of  Balaam."  Is  it 
strange  that  our  traveller  should 
give  the  following  melancholy 
description,  "We  went  first  to 
see  the  ruins  of  a  palace,  as  it 
is  judged  to  be,  which  lie  in 
a  street  to  the  east  part  of  the 
city;  where  we  found  five  pil- 
lars of  polished  marble,  of  a- 
bout  seven  yards  in  length,  the 
chapiters  curiously  wrought  in 
a  line  equally  distant:  and  fur- 
ther on,  there  being  a  larger 
space  between,  two  other  pil- 
lars, all  which  serve  now  only 
as  so  many  props,  to  support  a 
wall,  that  is  built  close  to  them. 
They  are  confronted  on  the 
other  side  of  the  street,  with 
pillars  of  the  same  make,  but 
whose  chapiters  are  broken, 
two  lying  upon  the  ground. 
More  eastward  toward  the 
plain,  lie  very  famous  ruins  of 
a  church  dedicated  to  St.  John, 
built  of  brick,  about  56  paces 
in  length,  and  in  breadth  thirty- 
two;  the  walls  of  a  very  great 
height,  two  rows  of  windows 
on  each  side.  On  each  side 
of  the  church  is  a  round  build- 
ing, the  one  exactly  agreeing 
with  the  other.  The  doors  are 
very  high;  opposite  to  which  is  a 
great  cavity  in  the  wall;  a  vault 


underneath  sustained  by  a  great 
pillar;  the  foundation  strength- 
ened by  several  arches  and  pil- 
lars. It  is  eighteen  pares  in 
diameter  within,  the  walls  very 
thick. 

In  the  upper  part' of  the  city- 
is  the  rivulet  Selinus,  whose 
stream  is  very  swift,  running 
toward  the  south  south-east 
into  the  Caicus;  over  which 
are  built  several  stone  bridges; 
some  with  two,  some  with 
three  arches.  By  the  stream 
not  far  from  the  great  church, 
part  of  a  wall  is  yet  standing 
of  about  ninety  paces.  On  the 
other  side  of  Selinus,  is  a  very 
handsome  and  large  church, 
formerly  called  Saneta  Sophia, 
into  which  you  ascend  byr  sev- 
eral stone  stairs;  now  polluted 
by  the  Turks,  and  made  a 
mosque.  We  observed  a  pas- 
sage under  ground  from  the 
castle  to  the  Selinus,  by  which 
they  supplied  themselves  with 
■water.  Along  the  side  of  an 
hill  from  the  south-west  are 
the  remains  of  an  aqueduct. 
On  a  hill  to  the  west  of  the 
city,  we  met  with  several  vast 
ruins  with  six  great  arches 
over  a  water,  which  seems  to 
have  been  formerly  a  common 
sewer;  and  south  of  this  a  range 
of  six  arches  more,  with  two 
large  rooms.  The  former  of 
these  ruins,  the  Turks  call 
Kiz-serai,  or  the  women's  se- 
raglio, telling  us,  that  anciently 


PER 


PER 


they  were  kept  there,  accom- 
modating, according  to  their 
rude  conception  of  things,  the 
customs  of  former  ages  to  the 
practice  of  their  emperor  at 
Constantinople,  and  fancying 
them  to  have  been  the  very 
same.  More  southward  is  a- 
nother  great  ruined  building 
with  arches,  situated  pleasantly 
upon  a  hill;  whence  we  had  a 
good  prospect  of  the  city  and 
the  neighboring  plain;  hard  by 
which  is  a  theatre,  that  opens 
to  the  south,  the  marks  of  the 
steps  still  remaining.  In  the 
declivity  of  which  almost  at 
the  bottom  is  a  marble  stone, 
about  seven  spans  in  length, 
and  two  in  breadth.  On  the 
opposite  side  is  a  marble  statue 
about  two  or  three  feet  in  the 
rubbish,  which  we  caused  to 
be  removed  by  a  poor  Chris- 
tian, this  being  the  only  way 
to  preserve  it,  the  Turks  being 
such  professed  enemies  to  all 
human  figures,  whether  paint- 
ed, or  in  Mosaic,  or  wrought 
in  brass  or  marble,  that  it  would 
be  quickly  defaced  and  broken, 
if  it  appeared  above  ground. 
As  we  walked  in  the  streets 
we  observed  vaults  almost  eve- 
ry where. 

The  state  of  the  Christians 
here  is  sad  and  deplorable, 
though  for  seven  or  eight 
hundred  years  Christianity 
flourished  in  this  city,  now 
there  is  not  above  fifteen  fami- 


lies of  Christians.  Their  chief 
employment  is  gardening,  by 
which  they  get  a  little  money 
to  pay  their  kerache,  or  tax, 
and  satisfy  the  demands  of  their 
cruel  and  greedy  oppressors, 
and  maintain  a  sad,  miserable 
life.  They  have  one  church 
dedicated  to  St.  Theodore;  the 
bishop  of  Smyrna,  under  whose 
direction  they  are,  taking  care 
to  send  a  priest  to  officiate  a- 
mong  them. 

Having  satisfied  ourselves 
with  the  view  of  Pergamus, 
on  Thursday  the  6th,  about 
sunrise  we  set  forward  on  our 
journey,  toward  Thyatira,  our 
way  laying  almost  due  east, 
repassing  the  Cetius  and  Cai- 
cus;  which  last  we  forded  at 
about  two  miles  distance  from 
the  city.  The  present  popu- 
lation is  about  3000  Turks. 
Lat.  39,  5,  north.  Long.  27, 
27,  east,  being  40  miles  north- 
west from  Thyatira,  and  64 
northerlv  from  Smyrna. 

PERIZZITES,  the  ancient 
inhabitants  of  Palestine,  min- 
gled with  the  Canaanites. 
There  is  also  great  probability, 
that  they  themselves  were  Ca- 
naanites, but  having  no  fixed 
habitations,  sometimes  dispers- 
ed in  one  part  of  the  country, 
and  sometimes  in  another,  they 
were  for  that  reason  called  Per- 
izzites,  which  signifies  scatter- 
ed  or  dispersed.  Pherazoth 
stands  for  hamlets  or  villages. 


PER 


PER 


i'he  Pcrizzitcs  did  not  inhab- 
it any  certain  portion  of  the 
land  of  Canaan;  there  were 
some  of  them  on  both  sides 
the  river  Jordan,  in  the  moun- 
tains, and  in  the  plains.  In 
several  places  of  scripture,  the 
Canaanites  and  Perizzites,  are 
mentioned,  as  the  two  chief 
people  of  the  country.  It  is  said 
for  example,  that  in  the  time  of 
Abraham  andLot,theCanaanites 
and  Perizzites  were  in  the  land, 
Gen.  viii,  7.  The  Israelites 
of  the  tribe  of  Ephraim,  com- 
plained to  Joshua,  that  they 
were  too  much  circumscribed 
in  their  possession,  Josh,  xvii, 
15.  He  bid  them  go  if  they 
pleased,  into  the  mountains  of 
the  Perizzites  and  Rephaims, 
or  giants,  and  clear  the  land, 
and  cultivate  it,  and  dwell 
there.  Solomon  subdued  the 
remains  of  the  Canaanites  and 
Perizzites,  which  the  children 
of  Israel  had  not  rooted  out, 
and  made  them  tributary  to 
him,  1  Kings,  ix,  20,  21,  and 
2  Chron.  viii,  7.  There  is  still 
mention  made  of  the  Periz- 
zites in  the  time  of  Ezra,  ix,  1, 
after  the  return  of  the  captivity 
from  Babylon;  and  several  Is- 
raelites had  married  wives  from 
that  nation. 

PERSEPOLIS,  the  noble 
metropolis  of  ancient  Persia, 
situate  in  east  long.  54,  and 
north  lat.  30,  50,  where  are 
still  to  be  seen  the  most  mag- 


nificent remains  of  a  palace  or 
temple,  that  are  now  in  being 
on  the  face  of  the  earth:  they 
lie  at  the  north  end  of  that  spa- 
cious plain,  where  Persepolis 
once  stood;  and  are  generally 
conjectured  to  be  part  of  the 
palace  of  that  Darius,  who  was 
conquered  by  Alexander.  It 
is  said  in  the  second  book  of 
Maccabees,  ix,  1,  2,  &c.  that 
this  temple  is  at  Elymais.  It  is 
known  that  the  cities  Elymais, 
and  Persepolis  were  very  differ- 
ent; besides  Persepolis  was  in 
ruins,  before  the  time  of  Anti- 
ochus,  being  destroyed  by  Al- 
exander: wherefore  we  must 
admit,  that  this  is  a  mistake  in 
the  second  book  of  Maccabees, 
or  that  the  author  has  put  Per- 
sepolis for  the  capital  city  of 
Persia,  though  its  true  name 
was  Elymais  and  Kanaea. 
The  authors  of  the  Universal 
History  think,  that  the  most 
ancient  name  of  Persepolis 
might  be  Elymais,  derived 
from  the  ancient  name  of  Per- 
sia, which  was  Elam;  that  in 
process  of  time,  when  Persia 
was  called  Pharas,  this  city 
miicht  be  called  Pharasabad, 
and  that  the  Greeks  might 
translate  either  of  these  appel- 
lations into  their  own  language 
by  the  word  Persepolis,  which 
signifies  no  more  than  the  city 
of  Persia.  The  following  is 
the  account  which  Dr.  Wells 
gives  of  this  place,  and  is  some- 


PER 


PJift 


what  different.  Persepolis  was 
the  capital  not  only  of  the 
province,  properly  called  Per- 
sis,  but  of  the  whole  Persian 
empire;  whence  it  is  styled  by 
the  historian,  Quintius  Curtius, 
the  Queen  of  the  East.  It  was 
situated  near  the  bunks  of  a 
river  called  Araxes,  otherwise 
Rhogomanes,  and  now  Bende- 
mir,  it  was  built  for  the  most 
part  of  Cyprus  wood,  the  walls 
of  the  houses  being  of  marble, 
procured  from  an  adjoining 
mountain.  Diodorus  Siculus, 
who  at  large  describes  tins  city, 
represents  it  as  the  richest  and 
finest  city  in  the  world.  And 
we  may  well  believe  him  as  to 
the  riches  of  it,  Alexander  the 
Great  finding  here  one  hundred 
and  twenty  thousand  talents  in 
money  for  his  own  share,  after 
the  soldiers  had  made  what 
spoil  they  pleased  of  plate,  bul- 
lion, images  of  gold,  and  silver, 
andjewels  of  unspeakable  value. 
But  its  chief  beauty  was  the 
royal  palace,  built  on  an  hill, 
surrounded  with  three  walls, 
the  first  sixteen  cub.ts  high, 
the  second  thirty,  and  the  third 
sixty;  all  of  them  of  black, 
polished  marble,  with  stately 
battlements,  and  in  the  circuit 
of  the  whole  palace  an  hundred 
turrets,  which  afforded  a  most 
admirable  prospect.  Nor  was 
the  inside  of  less  beauty,  than 
the  outside  was  of  majesty;  the 
roof  shining  with  ivory,  silver, 


gold,  and  amber;  and  the  king's 
throne  being  wholly  composed 
of  gold  and  the  richest  pearls. 
But  although  it  was  thus  rich 
and  stately,  and  one  of  the 
greatest  ornaments  of  the  east- 
ern world;  yet  it  was  by  Alex- 
ander, in  a  drunken  fit,  con- 
sumed with  fire,  at  the  insti- 
gation of  Lais,  an  infamous 
courtezan,  by  way  of  revenge 
for  the  cities  of  the  Greeks, 
which  the  Persians  had  former- 
ly burnt  in  Greece.  Though 
Alexander,  when  sober,  re- 
pented of  his  rashness,  and  or- 
dered that  it  should  be  rebuilt, 
yet  it  never  rose  to  its  former 
glory;  the  conqueror  dying 
shortly  after,  and  his  purpose 
with  him.  Itwras  so  ruined  in 
the  time  of  Quintus  Curtius, 
(who  lived  in  the  reign  of 
Claudius  Ceesar)  that  he  ac- 
knowledges no  footsteps  of  it 
could  have  been  found,  if  not 
indicated  by  the  river  Araxes, 
on  whose  bank  it  stood.  Not- 
withstanding this,  several  in- 
genious persons  and  travellers, 
and  among  them  M.  Thevenot, 
think,  the  place  now  called 
Tschel-minar  is  part  of  the  an- 
cient Persepolis,  not  only  be- 
cause of  the  river,  which  Dio- 
dorus Siculus,  and  others  de- 
scribe under  the  name  of  the 
Little  Araxes,  now  called  Ben- 
demir,  but  also  of  many  other 
indisputable  marks,  says  The- 
venot;   who  gives  a  large  ac- 


PER 


PER 


count  of  its  ruins.  The  sum 
whereof  is  this:  that  they  con- 
sist chiefly  of  three  ranges  of 
buildings,  behind  one  another, 
from  west  to  east;  that  they 
extend  in  length  from  north  to 
south;  that  each  of  the  two 
first  ranges  contains  four  build- 
ings and  two  courts;  the  last 
hath  five  buildings,  whereof  the 
third  is  the  most  extensive. 
Lat.  30,  30. 

PERSIA,  a  most  ancient 
and  celebrated  empire  of  Asia, 
extending  in  length  from  the 
mouth  of  the  river  Araxes,  to 
that  of  ihe  Indus,  about  1840 
miles,  and  in  breadth  from  the 
river  Oxus  to  the  Persian  gulf, 
about  1089  miles.  It  is  bound- 
ed on  the  north  by  the  Caspian 
Sea,  the  river  Oxus,  and  mount 
Caucasus,  on  the  east  by  the 
river  Indus,  and  the  dominions 
of  the  great  Mogul;  on  the 
south  by  the  Persian  gulf  and 
the  Indian  ocean;  en  the  west 
by  the  Tigris  and  Euphrates, 
which  separate  it  from  the  ter- 
ritories of  the  grand  Signior. 

From  Sir  William  Jones,  we 
learn  that  Persia  is  the  name  of 
only  one  province  in  this  em- 
pire, which  by  the  natives,  and 
all  learned  Mussulmen  is  cal- 
led Iran.  The  same  learned 
writer  is  confident,  that  Iran 
or  Persia  in  its  largest  extent, 
comprehended  within  its  out- 
line, the  lower  Asia,  which  he 
43 


says  was  unquestionably  a  part 
of  the  Persian,  if  not  of  the 
old  Assyrian  empire,  "Thus 
may  we  look  on  Iran,  as  the 
noblest  peninsula  on  this  globe, 
and  if  Mr.  Bailly  had  fixed  on 
it  as  the  Atlantis  of  Plato,  he 
might  have  supported  his  opin- 
ion with  far  stronger  arguments 
than  any,  which  he  has  adduced 
in  favor  of  Nova  Zembla.  If 
indeed  the  account  of  the  At- 
lantis, be  not  purely  an  Egyp- 
tian fable,  I,  says  Sir  Wil- 
liam, should  be  more  inclined 
to  place  them  in  Iran  than  in 
any  region  with  which  I  am 
acquainted." 

The  most  ancient  name  of 
this  country,  however,  was 
Elam,  So  called  from  Elam,  the 
son  of  Shem  from  whom  the 
first  inhabitants  descended. 
In  the  books  of  Daniel  and 
Esdras,  and  from  the  time  of 
Cyrus,  who  learned  the  art  of 
riding  in  Media,  and  introdu- 
ced it  here,  it  is  called  by  the 
name  of  Peres  and  P haras, 
which  signifies  a  horseman,  or 
rider;  hence  the  modern  name 
of  Persia. 

That  Persia  was  originally 
peopled  by  Elam,  the  son  of 
Shem,  has  been  very  generally 
admitted,  but  the  truth  is,  that 
very  little  is  known  concern-? 
ing  the  ancient  history  of  this 
celebrated  empire.  For  this 
ignorance,    which  at  first  may 


PER 


PER 


seem  strange,  satisfactory  rea- 
sons may  be  found  in  the  su- 
perficial knowledge  of  the 
Greeks  and  Jews,  and  the  loss 
of  the  Persian  archives  and 
historical  compositions.  "That 
the  Grecian  writers,  before 
Xenophon  had  no  acquaintance 
with  Pers!/t,  and  that  their  ac- 
counts of  it  are  wholly  fabulous, 
is  a  paradox  too  extravagant  to 
be  mentioned,  but  says  Sir  W. 
Jones,  their  connexion  with  it 
in  war  or  peace  had  been  gen- 
erally confined  to  bordering 
kingdoms,  under  feudatory 
princes;  the  first  Persian  em- 
peror, whose  life  and  charac- 
ter they  seem  to  have  known 
with  tolerable  accuracy,  was 
the  great  Cyrus."  Our  learn- 
ed author,  however,  is  so  far 
from  considering  Cyrus  as  the 
first  Persian  monarch,  that  he 
thinks  it  evident,  that  a  power- 
ful monarchy  had  subsisted  in 
Iran  for  ages,  before  the  acces- 
sion of  that  hero,  and  that  in 
fact  it  was  the  oldest  monarchy 
in  the  world.  The  evidence 
on  which  the  learned  Presi- 
ident  rests  this  opinion  is  the 
work  of  a  Mahometan  traveller, 
compiled  from  the  books  of 
such  Persians,  as  fled  from  their 
country  upon  the  innovation 
in  religion,  made  by  Zoroas- 
ter. Sir  William  has  no 
doubt  respecting  the  authen- 
city  of  this  work. 


If  the  Persian  monarchy  was 
thus  ancient,  then  probably 
Iran  or  Persia  was  the  original 
seat  of  the  human  race, 
whence  colonies  went  forth  to 
every  part  of  the  habitable 
globe.  This  opinion  is  actu- 
ally adopted  by  the  learned 
President  of  the  Asiatic  Soci- 
ety, who  strongly  confirms  it, 
by  remarks  on  the  most  ancient 
language  of  Persia.  This  he 
shows  was  the  parent  of  the 
Sanscrit,  also  of  the  Greek, 
the  Latin,  and  Gothic.  He, 
therefore,  holds  as  a  proposi- 
tion firmly  established,  "that 
Iran  or  Persia,  in  its  largest 
sense,  was  the  centre  of  popu- 
lation, of  knowledge,  of  lan- 
guages, and  the  arts;  w!:ich 
instead  of  travelling  westward 
only,  as  it  has  been  fancifully 
supposed,  or  eastward  as  it 
might  with  equal  reason  have 
been  asserted,  were  expanded 
in  all  directions  to  all  the  re- 
gions of  the  world."  He  thinks 
that  it  is  from  good  authority, 
that  the  Saxon  chronicle  brings 
the  first  inhabitants  of  Britain 
from  Armenia,  that  the  Goths 
have  been  concluded  to  come 
from  Persia,  and  that  both  the 
Irish  and  old  Britons  have  been 
supposed  to  have  proceeded 
from  the  borders  of  the  Cas- 
pian; all  these  places  were  com- 
prehended within  the  ancient 
Iran.      Cyrus    extended     the 


PEtt 


PER 


bounds  of  this  empire  to  the 
Red  Sea  and  Ethiopia,  or  as 
it  is  said,  over  "all  the  earthy 
He  was  the  benefactor  of  the 
Jews,  after  he  had  taken  Bab- 
ylon, where  they  had  been 
long  confined  in  a  miserable 
captivity.  Deeply  affected 
with  the  miraculous  preserva- 
tion of  Daniel  in  the  den  of 
lions,  he  published  a  royal 
edict  in  favor  of  the  true  re- 
ligion. The  prophets  repeat- 
edly foretold  the  coming  of 
this  mighty  conqueror.  "Cy- 
rus is  my  Shepherd." 

Josephus  says,  that  the  Jews 
of  Babylon  showed  this  pas- 
sage to  Cyrus,  that 'in  the  edict 
permitting  their  return,  he  ac- 
knowledged, that  he  had  re- 
ceived the  empire  of  the  world 
from  the  God  of  Israel .  The 
Orientals  say,  that  Cyrus,  by 
his  mother, was  descended  from 
one  of  the  Hebrew  prophets, 
also,  that  his  wife  was  a  Jew, 
which  may  account  for  his 
kindness  to  that  people.  After 
the  conquest  of  Babylon  the 
forces  of  Cyrus  consisted  of 
600,000  foot,  120,000  horse, 
and  2000  chariots,  armed  with 
scythes. 

The  climate  of  this  extensive 
country  must  be  various.  The 
cold  provinces  are  remarkably 
dry;  the  parts  which  are  ex- 
tremely warm,  are  sometimes 
moist.     Along  the  coast  of  the 


Persian  gulf,  from  west  to  east, 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Indus,  for 
four  months  the  heat  is  exces- 
sive. It  is  insupportable  even 
to  the  natives,  they  quit  their 
houses,  they  retire  to  the  moun- 
tains, sixty  or  a  hundred  miles 
from  the  sea.  The  villages  and 
towns  are  forsaken,  none  but 
poor  wretches,  who  guard  the 
property  of  others,  at  the  hazard 
of  their  lives,  are  found  in  the 
country.  On  the  borders  of 
Tartary  the  heat  is  equally 
great;  though  the  atmosphere 
is  not  quite  so  malignant;  but 
on  the  Caspian,  in  the  north, 
the  he&t  and  the  unwholesome- 
ness  of  the  climate  are  as  great 
as  on  the  gulf  of  Persia.  From 
October  to  May,  no  country  in 
the  world  is  more  pleasant,  but 
the  faint,  yellow  countenances 
of  the  people  prove  the  malig- 
nity of  the  climate.  It  seldom 
rains,  but  a  wind  rises  in  the 
night,  and  renders  them  so  cool, 
that  people  may  wear  a  pretty 
warm  garment.  Snow  falls  on 
the  mountains,  and  winter  lasts 
from  November  to  March.  In 
the  plains  are  no  snows. 

At  Shirauz,  the  capital  of 
Persia  Proper,  a  delicious  cli- 
mate is  enjoyed;  they  never 
endure  the  extremes  of  heat  or 
cold.  The  country  around  is 
covered  with  a  vast  variety  of 
flowers;  and  songs  of  innumer. 
able  birds,  give  delight  to  the 


PER 


PER 


people.  The  nights  are  always 
clear;  the  dew,  so  pernicious  to 
health  in  most  other  places, 
produces  no  ill  effects  here. 
In  fact  there  is  none  during  the 
summer;  the  brightest  steel 
exposed  till. night  receives  no 
rust.  Tins  dryness  of  the  at- 
mosphere causes  their  build- 
ings to  last  a  great  while. 
Therefore  it  is  that  the  ruins 
of  Persepolis  remain  so  entire. 
Another  effect  of  this  dryness 
is,  thunder  and  earthquakes 
are  seldom  known.  The  winds, 
however  brisk,  seldom  swell 
into  Wtbrms  or  tempests. 
They  sometimes  experience  a 
poisonous  wind  on  the  shores 
of  the  Persian  gum  At  Gom- 
broon Mr.  Tavernier  says, 
that  people  often  lind  them- 
selves 'struck  with  a  south 
wind;'  they  cry  out,  "I  burn," 
and  fall  down  dead.  M.  le 
Brun  says,  that  he  was  assured, 
while  there,  that  the  weather 
was  sometimes  so  excessively 
hot,  as  to  melt  the  seals  of  let- 
ters. At  such  time  the  peo- 
ple go  in  their  shirts,  and  are 
continually  sprinkled  with  cold 
water;  they  even  sometimes  lie 
several  hours  in  the  water.  One 
dreadful  effect  is  the  engender- 
ing of  worms  in  the  arms  and 
legs,  which  cannot  be  extract- 
ed without  great  danger. 

The  soil  along  the  gulf  is  as 
barren   as    the  climate   is  un- 


healthy; but  some  of  the  prov- 
inces are  not  unfruitful.  Many 
parts  suffer  by  the  drought; 
but  where  they  can  turn  water 
upon  their  plains  or  valleys  they 
are  abundantly  rewarded.  The 
provinces  of  Media,  Iberia, 
Hyrcania,  and  Bactria,  are 
fruitful. 

Wheat  is  the  common  grain 
of  Persia,  it  is  fair  and  clean. 
In  times  of  scarcity,  they  make 
bread  of  rice,  barley,  and  millet. 
Neither  rye  nor  oats  are  culti- 
vated, except  among  the  Ar- 
menians. Of  rye  these  people 
make  great  use  during  lent, 
when  they  are  not  allowed  to 
eat  meat.  The  rice  of  Persia 
is  the  best  in  the  world,  and  is 
eaten  by  all  classes  of  people. 
For  this  reason  they  are  exr 
tremely  careful  in  its  cultiva- 
tion. Three  months  after  their 
fields  are  sown,  the  rice  is 
transplanted,  root  by  root,  in- 
to other  fields  well  watered; 
hence  it  is  remarkably  soft  and 
delicious.  Wine  of  various 
qualities  is  made  in  almost  ev- 
ery province;  that  of  Schiras, 
as  has  been  suggested,  is  the 
best.  A  common  proverb  a- 
mong  the  people  is,  that  to  be 
happy,  UA  man  must  cat  the 
bread  of  Yezd,  and  drink  the 
wine  of  Schiras."  Grain  ripens 
quick  in  this  country,  and  in 
some  parts  they  have  three 
crops  in  a  year. 


PER 


PER 


Different   sorts  of  metal  are 
found  in    Persia;   but   no  gold 
or    silver  mines    are    open   at 
present,  they  do  not  work  them 
for  want  of  wood.     But  they 
have   iron,    copper,  and   lead; 
also    sulphur,    salt  petre,   and 
alum.     Free  stone  and  marble 
of  various    colors  are    plenty. 
The  traveller  frequently  meets 
with   plains    30    miles   across, 
covered  with  salt,   and  others 
with    sulphur  and    alum.     In 
some  places,  salt  is  dug  out  of 
mines  and    used  for  building. 
The  horses  of  Persia,  though 
not  so  highly  esteemed  as  those 
of  Arabia,  are  remarkably  fine. 
Their  price    is    from   375    to 
1875  dollars.    Mules  and  asses 
are  common,  and  of  great  use. 
Camels  are   very   serviceable, 
called,  "The  ships  of  the  land," 
because  by  them  their  inland 
commerce  is  carried  on.     Of 
the  camel  they  have  two  kinds, 
the  northern  and  southern;  the 
latter  is  the  smallest  and  s\viftT 
est,  and   will   carry    a  load  (If 
700  weight,  and  trot  as  fast  as 
a  horse  will  gallop;  the  other 
will  travel  with  a  load  of  1200 
or  1300  weight.  Their  keeping 
costs  little  or  nothing.     They 
travel  without  halter  or  bridle, 
grazing  on  the  road  when  hun- 
gry. They  are  directed  entirely 
by  the  voice  of  the  driver, which 
is  a  kind  of  a  song,  a  quicker 
or  slower  time  of  which,  ex- 
cites the   camel  to  a  slower  or 


brisker   pace.     The  camel  in 
the  spring   sheds  his  hair,  and 
his  fleece  is  of  more  value  than 
that  of  any   tame   beast.    Fine 
stuffs  are   made  of  it,  and  in 
Europe   they  make  hats    with 
the  addition  of  a   little  beaver. 
Sheep  and    deer  are  common 
through  all  Persia;  beef  is  little 
eaten,  and  hogs  are  no  where 
bred,  except   in  a  province  or 
two  on  the  borders  of  the  Cas- 
pian.    Wild  beasts  are  not  nu- 
merous; because  there  are  l^ut 
few   forests;  but  in  Hyrcania, 
now  called  Tibristan,  are  abun- 
dance   of  lions,  bears,    tigers, 
leopards,    porcupines,     boars, 
and  wolves.    Grasshoppers  and 
locusts  fly  about  in  such  clouds 
as  to  darken  the  air.     It    is  a 
well  known  fact  that  locusts  are 
eaten    in   these  countries.     In 
some  provinces  are  large,  ven- 
omous scorpions.    Those,  who 
are  stung  by  them,  die  in  a  few- 
hours.  Wild  and  tame  pigeons 
in  vast  numbers  abound  all  over 
the  country.     They    are  kept 
chiefly  for  their  dung,  which  is 
the  best  manure  for  melons. 

Persia  is  a  country  of  moun- 
tains; many  of  them  yield  nei- 
ther metals  nor  springs  of  water, 
but  few  are  shaded  with  trees. 
The  mountains  of  Caucasus 
and  Ararat,  sometimes  called 
the  mountains  of  Daghestan, 
fill  the  space  between  the  Cas- 
pian and  Euxine  seas.  Those 
called  TauruSjand  their  branch- 


PER 


PER 


cs,  from  Persia  extend  to  Asia 
Minor  and  to  India. 

Excepting  the  Araxes, which 
rises  among  the  mountains  of 
Armenia,  and  fills  into  the  Kur 
or  Cyrus,  before  it  reaches  the 
Caspian,  there  is  not  one  nav- 
igable stream  in  Persia.  On 
the  north-east  the  Oxus  divides 
Persia  fro  mtJsbecTartary.  The 
Indus  may  aiso  be  reckoned 
a  river  of  Persia,  being  its 
eastern  boundary.  This  river 
ha^s  a  course  of  1000  miles, 
and  in  April,  May,  and  June 
overflows  its  banks. 

Southerly  this  country  has 
the  gulf  of  Persia  or  Bassora, 
the  gulf  of  Ormus,  and  the  In- 
dian ocean.  North  is  the  Cas- 
pian sea,  which  is  really  a  lake 
640  miles  long,3 10  miles  broad. 
The  principal  exports  of  Per- 
sia are  silk,  mohair,  carpets, 
leather;  also  tobacco,  fruit, 
wine,  distilled  waters,  feath- 
ers, and  horses.  They  export 
22,000  bales  of  silk,  each 
weighing  2G3  pounds.  A  very 
proiirable  trade  is  carried  on 
between  Gombroon,  and  die 
Enq-lish  at  Surat  in  the  East 
Indies*  The  Banians  and  Ar- 
menians are  the  principal  a- 
gents  in  the  traffic-  of  the  coun- 
try. 

As  to  the  government  of 
Persia,  it  is  an  absolute  mon- 
archy, the  lives  and  estates  of 
the  people  are  entirely  at  the 


disposal  of  the  prince.  He  has 
no  congress,  parliament,  or 
council;  but  takes  the  advice 
of  such  ministers  as  are  in, fa- 
vor. The  law  excludes  those, 
who  are  blind,  from  the  throne; 
hence  the  reigning  prince  gen- 
erally orders  the  eyes  of  all 
those  of  whom  he  has  any 
jealousy  to  be  torn  out.  The 
king  has  generally  a  great 
number  of  wives,  who  are 
waited  on  by  eunuchs.  If  any 
else  were  to  see  one  of  them, 
even  by  accident,  he  would  be 
punished  by  death.  Therefore, 
when  they  travel  public  notice 
is  given  for  all  men  to  quit  the 
road,  and  even  their  houses, 
and  retire  a  great  distance.  The 
usual  title  of  the  king  is,  "The 
disposer  of  kingdoms;"  he  nev- 
er subscribes  his  name  to  any 
public  act,  but  the  grant  runs 
thus,  viz.  "This  act,  or  edict, 
is  given  by  him  whom  the  uni- 
verse obeys."    . 

The  modern  Persians,  like 
the  Turks,  plundering  all  the 
adjacent  nations  for  female 
beauties,  to  be  the  mothers  of 
their  children,  are  men  of  good 
stature,  shape,  and  complex- 
ion; but  the  Gaures  or  ancient 
Persians,  are  homely,  ill-shaped, 
and  clumsy,  with  a  rough  skin, 
and  olive  complexions.  In 
some  provinces,  not  only  the 
complexions  but  the  constitu- 
tion of  the  inhabitants,  suffer 


PER 


PER 


greatly  by  the  extreme  heat, 
and  unhealthy  air.  The  Per- 
sian women  are  generally  hand- 
some, and  well- shaped,  but  much 
inferior  to  those  of  Georgia, 
and  Circassia.  The  men  wear 
large  turbans  on  their  heads, 
some  of  them  very  rich, interwo- 
ven with  gold  and  silver;  a  vest 
girt  with  a  sash,  and  over  it 
a  loose  garment,  something 
shorter  with  sandals,  or  slippers 
on  their  feet.  When  they  ride, 
which  they  do  every  day,  if  it 
be  but  to  a  house  in  the  same 
town,  they  wear  pliant  boots  of 
vellow  leather,  the  furniture  of 
their  horse  is  extremely  rich, 
and  the  stirrups  generally  of 
silver;  whether  on  horseback  or 
on  foot,  they  wear  a  broad 
sword  and  a  dagger  in  their 
sash.  The  dress  of  the  women 
does  not  differ  much  from  that 
of  the  men;  only  their  vests 
are  longer,  and  they  wear  stiff- 
ened caps  on  their  heads,  and 
their  hair  down. 

With  respect  to  outward  be- 
havior says,  an  intelligent  trav- 
eller, "the  Persians  are  cer- 
tainly the  Parisians  of  the  East. 
Whilst  a.  rude  and  insolent  de- 
meanor, peculiarly  marks  the 
character  of  the  Turkish  nation, 
towards  foreigners  and  Chris- 
tians, the  behavior  of  the  Per- 
sians would,  on  the  contrary, 
do  honor  to  the  most  civilized 
nations^  they  are  kind,    cour- 


teous, civil,  and  obliging,  t«t 
all  strangers,  without  being 
guided,  by  those  religious 
prejudices,  so  very  prevalent 
in  every  other  Mahometan  na- 
tion; they  are  fond  of  inquir- 
ing after 'the  manners  and  cus- 
toms of  Europe,  and  in  return 
very  readily  afford  any  infor- 
mation in  respect  to  their  own 
country.  The  practice  of  hos- 
pitality is  with  them  so  grand 
a  point,  that  a  man  thinks 
himself  highly  honored  if  you 
will  enter  into  his  house  and 
partake  of  what  his  family  af- 
fords;  whereas  going  out  of  a 
house  without  smoaking  a  cal- 
ean,  or  taking  any  other  re- 
freshment, is  deemed  in  Per- 
sia, a  high  affront.  Their  usu- 
al drink  is  water  and  Sherbet, 
as  in  other  Mahometan  coun- 
tries, wine  being  prohibited; 
but  of  all  Mahometan  nations, 
they  pay  the  least  regard  to 
this  prohibition.  Many  of 
them  drink  wine  publicly  and 
almost  all  of  them  in  private, 
excepting  those,  who  have  per- 
formed a  pilgrimage  to  Mecca, 
and  men  of  religion;  they  also 
are  very  liable  to  be  quarrel- 
some when  inebriated,  which 
is  often  attended  with  fatal 
consequences.  They  eat  opi- 
um, but  in  much  less  quanti- 
ties than  the  Turks;  and  indeed 
in  every  thing  they  say  or  do, 
eat   or   drink,    they    make    a 


PER 


PER 


point  to  be  as  different  from 
this  nation,  as  possible,  whom 
they  detest  to  a  man,  beyond 
measure;  esteeming  Jews 
and  Christians,  superior  to 
them,  and  much  nearer  to  sal- 
vation. Every  one  knows 
that  the  religion  of  the  Per- 
sians is  Mahometan,  and  that 
they  are  of  the  sect  of  Ali,  for 
whom  they  entertain  the  most 
extravagant  veneration.  Mr. 
Franklin  heard  one  of  his 
guides  on  the  road  reprove 
another  for  the  expression,  O 
God!  O  Ali!  "No,  no,  (said 
his  zealous  companion,)  Ali 
first,  God  second!  this  attach- 
ment is  the  source  of  their 
hatred  to  the  Turks,  and  of 
many  strange  customs  among 
themseh'es,  which  we  have  not 
room  to  enumerate;  a  few 
however,  must  be  mentioned. 
"Their  mode  of  living  is 
as  follows;  they  always  rise  at 
day-break,  in  order  to  per- 
form their  devotions.  Their 
first  prayer  is  denominated  nu- 
maz soobh  or  the  morning  pray- 
er; it  is  said  before  sunrise,  after 
which  they  eat  a  slight  meal, 
called  nashtay  or  breakfast;  this 
consists  of  grapes,  or  any  other 
fruits  of  the  season,  with  a 
little  bread,  and  cheese  made 
of  goats  milk,  they  afterwards 
drink  a  cup  of  very  strong  cof- 
fee, without  milk  or  sugar; 
then  the  calean  or  pipe,  is  in- 


troduced. The  Persians  from 
the  highest  to  the  lowest  ranks 
all  smoak  tobacco." 

"The  second  hour  of  pray- 
er is  called  numaz  zohur,  or 
mid-day  prayer,  and  is  always 
repeated,  when  the  sun  declines 
from  the  meridian.  Their  din- 
ner, or  casht,  which  is  soon  af- 
ter this  prayer,  consists  of 
curds,  bread  and  fruits  of  va- 
rious kinds;  animal  food  not 
being  usual  at  this  meal." 

"The  third  hour  of  prayer 
is  called  numaz  asur,  or  the 
afternoon  prayer,  said  about 
four  o'clock." 

"The  fourth  hour  of  prayer, 
is  numaz  sham,  or  evening 
prayer,  which  is  said  after  sun 
set;  when  this  is  finished,  the 
Persians  eat  their  principal 
meal,  called  shamni,  or  supper. 
This  generally  consists  of  a 
pilan,  dressed  with  rich  meat 
sauces,  and  highly  seasoned 
various  spices:  sometimes  they 
eat  k'ibaah  or  roast  meat.  When 
the  meal  is  ready,  a  servant 
gives  notice  thereof,  and  at  the 
same  time  presents  an  ewer  of 
water;  they  then  wash  their 
hands,  which  is  an  invariable 
custom  with  the  Persians,  both 
before  and  after  eating.  They 
eat  very  quick,  conveying  their 
food  to  their  mouths  with 
their  fingers;  the  use  of  knives 
and  forks,  being  unknown 
in  Persia.     Sherbets  of  differ- 


PEK 


PER 


ent  sorts  are  introduced,  and 
the  meal  concludes  with  a  des- 
ert of  delicious  fruits.  The 
supper  being1  finished,  the  fam- 
ily sit  in  a  circle,  and  entertain 
each  other  by  relating  pleas- 
ant stories,  (of  which  they  are 
excessively  fond,)  and  also  by 
repeating  passages  from  the 
works  of  their  most  favorite 
poets,  and  amusing  themselves 
at  various  kind  of  games. 
The  fifth  and  last  prayer,  is 
styltd  numaz  akber,  the 
last  prayer,  or  sometimes  nu- 
viaz  s/ieb,  or  the  night  prayer 
repealed  one  hour  after  sup- 
per." 

The  most  remarkable  law 
among  the  Persians  respects 
marriage.  A  man  may  divorce 
his  wife  when  he  chooses, 
without  assigning  any  other 
reason,  for  the  divorce  than 
that  it  is  his  pleasure.  If  he 
should  change  his  mind  he 
may  again  marry  her,  divorce 
her  a  second  time,  and  a  third 
time  marry  her;  but  here  this 
privilege  stops.  No  man  is 
allowed  to  marry  the  woman 
whom  he  has  thrice  divorced. 
A  widow  is  obliged  to  mourn 
four  months  for  her  deceased 
husband,  before  she  can  be 
married  to  another;  but  a  con- 
cubine may  form  a  new  con- 
nexion the  instant  that  her 
keeper  expires. 

At  the  naming  of  children 
44 


in  Persia,  Mr.  Franklin  in- 
forms us  that  the  following 
ceremony  is  observed:  the 
third  or  fourth  day  after  the 
child  is  born,  the  friends  and 
relations  of  the  mother  assem- 
ble at  her  house,  attended  by 
music,  and  dancing  girls  hired 
for  the  occasion,  after  playing 
and  dancing  sometime,  a  mul- 
lah or  p:iest  is  introduced,  who 
taking  the  child  in  his  arms, 
demands  of  the  mother  what 
name  she  chooses  the  infant 
should  be  called  by;  being' 
told  he  begins  praying,  and 
after  a  short  time,  applies  his 
mouth  close  to  the  child's  ear, 
and  tells  him  distinctly  three 
times,  (calling  him  by  name) 
to  remember  and  be  obedient 
to  its  father  or  mother,  to  ven- 
erate his  Koran  and  his  proph- 
et, to  abstain  from  those  things 
which  are  unlawful;  and  to 
practise  those  things,  which  are 
good  and  virtuous.  Having 
repeated  the  Mahometan  pro- 
fession of  faith,  he  then  re-de- 
livers the  child  to  its  mother; 
after  which  the  company  are  en- 
tertained with  sweatmeats  and 
other  refreshments,  a  part  of 
which  the  females  present,  al- 
ways take  care  to  carry  away 
in  their  pockets,  believing  it 
to  be  the  infallible  means  of 
their  having  offspring  them- 
selves. 

The  Persians  excel  more  in 


PER 


PER 


poetry  than  in  any  other  sort 
of  literature;  and  astrologers 
are  now  in  as  great  reputation, 
in  Persia,  as  the  Magi  were 
formerly.  Their  books  are  all 
manuscripts,  the  art  of  printing, 
having  not  yet  been  introduced 
among  them;  they  excel  indeed 
in  writing,  and  have  eight  dif- 
ferent hands.  They  write  from 
the  right  hand  to  the  left,  as 
the  Arabs  do.  In  their  short 
hand  they  use  the  letters  of  the 
alphabet;  and  the  same  letters, 
differently  pointed,  will  have 
twenty  different  significations. 
In  short,  the  Persians  are  born, 
with  as  good  natural  parts,  as 
any  people  in  the  East,  but 
make  a  bad  use  of  them;  being 
great  dissemblers,  cheats,  liars, 
and  flatterers,  and  having  a 
strong  propensity  to  voluptu- 
ousness, luxury,  idleness,  and 
indolence;  vices,  to  which  the 
Asiatics  in  general,  are  much 
addicted. 

Authors  speak  differently  of 
the  religion  of  the  ancient  Per- 
sians. Herodotus,  who  is  the 
first  that  has  given  any  account 
of  it,  says  that  they  had  neither 
temples  nor  statues,  nor  altars; 
that  they  looked  upon  it  as  a 
piece  of  folly  to  make  anj^,  or 
to  suffer  any;  because  they  did 
not  believe  as  the  Greeks  did 
that  the  Gods  were  of  human 
original.  They  sacrificed  to 
Jupiter  on  the  highest  moun- 


tains, and  gave  the  name  of 
God  to  the  whole  circuit  of  the 
heavens.  They  sacrificed  also 
to  the  sun,  the  moon,  and  the 
earth;  and  the  water,  and  the 
winds.  They  knew  no  other 
Gods  anciently  but  these. 
Since  that  time  they  learned 
from  the  Syrians  and  Arabians 
to  sacrifice  to  Urania,  or  the 
heavenlv  Venus.  A  modern 
author  pretends,  that  the  Per- 
sians had  just  notions  concern- 
ing the  Deity,  and  believed  in 
but  one  God  alone,  that  they 
indeed  admitted  of  two 
principles,  one  whereof  was 
created  and  another  uncreated, 
the  created  principle  was  the 
world.  He  also  maintains,  that 
the  worship  they  paid  to  the 
sun  and  the  fire  was  merely 
civil  and  relative.  The  mod- 
ern Persians  refer  their  religion 
to  Abraham,  whom  some  con- 
found with  Zoroaster,  and 
others  will  have  him  to  have 
been  the  master  of  Zoroaster. 
They  think  the  world  was  cre- 
ated in  six  days,  that  at  the  be- 
ginning God  created  a  man 
and  a  woman,  from  whom 
mankind  are  derived.  That 
there  have  been  several  terres- 
trial paradises,  one  universal 
deluge,  one  Moses,  and  one 
Solomon.  All  this  without 
doubt  is  taken  from  the  history 
of  the  Jews,  and  from  the  tradi- 
tions of  the  Mahometans. 


PER 


PEK 


They  hold  one  eternal  God 
called  in  their  tongue  Jesdafl, 
or  Oromazdes,  which  is  the 
true  God  called  by  the  Arabi- 
ans Alia,  the  author  of  all  good. 
And  also  another  God  pro- 
duced by  darkness,  to  whom 
they  give  the  name  of  Aher- 
men,  who  is  properly  the  Eblis 
of  the  Arabians,  or  the  Devil, 
and  the  author  of  all  evil.  They 
have  a  very  great  veneration  for 
light,  and  a  very  great  aversion 
to  darkness.  God  the  creator 
of  all  things  had  produced  light 
and  darkness,  and  from  a  mix- 
ture of  these  too  things,  good 
and  evil,  generation  and  cor- 
ruption, and  the  composition 
of  all  the  parts  of  the  world 
are  affected,  and  the  world 
will  always  subsist,  till  the 
lighc  withdrawing  on  one  side, 
and  the  darkness  on  the  other 
shall  cause  a  destruction  and 
dissolution. 

This  is  an  abridgment  of  the 
doctrine  of  Zoroaster,  which  is 
still  espoused  by  the  Majians 
and  Guebres,  who  are  worship- 
pers of  fire,  and  who  always 
when  they  pray  turn  themselves 
to  the  rising  sun. 

The  following  is  a  list  of 
such  kings  of  Persia  as  had  any 
relation  to  the  sacred  history  of 
the  scriptures. 

Cyrus,  the  founder  of  the 
Persian     monarchy,     reigned 


nine  years  after  the  taking  of 
Babvlon,  that  is  from  the  year 
of  the    world  3466  to    3475. 

Cambyses,  called  Ahasue- 
rus,  (Ezra  iv,  6,)  reigned  sev- 
en years  and  five  months.  He 
died  in  the  year  of  the  world 
3482. 

Orohastes  the  magian,  cal- 
led Artaxerxes,  Ezra  iv,  7, 
pretending  to  be  Smerdis,  the 
brother  of  Cambyses  reigned 
5  months.  He  was  killed  by 
seven  conspirators,  one  of 
which  was  Darius  the  son  of 
Hystaspes. 

Darius  son  of  Hystaspes  is 
called  Ahasuerus  in  the  He- 
brew book  of  Esther,  and  Ar- 
taxerxes in  the  Greek  of  the 
same  book.  He  reigned  36 
years  from  the  year  of  the 
world  3482  to  the  year   3519. 

Xerxes  I.  reigned  12  years, 
from  the  year  of  the  world 
3519  to  3531. 

Artaxerxes  Lonsfimanus 
reigned  48  years,  from  3531  to 
3579. 

Xerxes  II.  reigned  but  one 
year,  he  died  in  3580. 

Secundianus  or  Sogdianus, 
his  brother  and  murderer, 
reigned  seven  months. 

Ochus,  or  Darius  Nothus 
reigned  19  years,  from  the  year 
of  the  world  3581  to  3590. 

Artaxerxes  Mnemon  reign  * 
ed  43  years,  and  died  in  3643* 


PER 


PHA 


Artaxerxes  Ochus  reigned 
23  years,  from  the  year  of  the 
world  3643  to  36661 

Arsen  reigned  three  years, 
and  died  3668. 

Darius  Codomanus  was  con- 
quered by  Alexander  the 
Great  in  3674,  after  having 
reigned  six  years. 

It  is  allowed,  that  the  most 
ancient  among  the  inspired 
writers  constantly  intend  Per- 
sia, when  they  speak  of  Elam 
and  the  kingdom  of  Elam. 
Thus,  not  to  detain  the  reader 
with  unnecessary  quotations, 
when  the  prophet  Jeremiah, 
xlix,  39,  after  denouncing 
many  judgments  against  this 
country,  adds  these  words, 
"but  it  shall  come  to  pass  in 
the  latter  days  that  I  will  bring 
again  the  captivity  of  Elam, 
saith  the  Lord."  He  is  always 
understood  to  mean  the  restor- 
ation of  the  kingdoms  of  the 
Persians  by  Cyrus,  who  sub- 
dued the  Babylonians,  as  they 
had  before  subdued  the  Per- 
sians. 

It  appears  from  verse  35  to 
verse  39,  of  the  same  chapter, 
that  Elam  must  have  been  a 
very  potent  kingdom.  "Be- 
hold I  will  break  the  bow  of 
Elam,  the  chief  of  their  might. 
And  upon  Elam  will  I  brrftg 
the  four  winds,  from  the  four 
quarters  of  heaven,  and  will 
scatter  them  towards  all  those 


winds,  and  there  shall  be  no 
nation  whither  the  outcasts  of 
Elam  shall  not  come,"  &c. 

PETHOR,  a  city  of  Meso- 
potamia, of  which  the  false 
prophet  Balaam  was  a  native. 
The  Hebrews  call  this  city 
Pethura.  Ptolemy  calls  it 
Pachora,  and  Eusebius  Pathu- 
ra.  He  places  it  in  the  upper 
Mesopotamia.  Calmet  takes  it 
to  be  situated  towards  Thapsa- 
cus,  beyond  the  Euphrates. 
St.  Jerome,  in  his  translation  of 
the  book  of  Numbers,  xxii,  5, 
has  omitted  this  name.  He  has 
only  "To  Balaam  who  dwelt 
upon  the  river  of  the  Ammon- 
ites." He  read  the  Hebrew 
otherwise,  than  we  do  now. 
The  Septuagint  have  it,  "To 
Balaam  son  of  Beor  Pathura, 
who  dwells  upon  the  river  of 
the  country  of  his  people." 
Our  translators  have  rendered 
it  "Unto  Balaam  the  son  of 
Beor,  to  Pethor,  which  is  by 
the  river  of  the  land  of  the  chil- 
dren of  his  people."  Certain 
it  is  that  Balaam  was  of  Meso- 
potamia      See  Deut.  xxiii,  4. 

PETRA,  a  citv  of  Arabia. 
Lat.  30. 

PHARATHONI,  a  city  of 
the  tribe  of  Ephraifn,  1  Mace. 
ix,  50.  This  city  is  known  by 
the  name  Pirathon  in  Judges 
xii,  15.     Lat.  32,  12. 

PHARPAR,OrPHARFHAR, 

one  of  the  rivers  of  Damascus, 


PHE 


PI  IE 


or  rather,  it  is  an  arm  of  the 
Barrady,  or  Chrysorrhoas, 
which  waters  the  city  of  Da- 
mascus, and  the  country  about 
it,  -2  Kings,  v,  12.  The  river 
of  Damascus,  has  its  fountains 
in  the  mountains  of  Libanus, 
as  it  approaches  the  city,  it  is 
divided  into  three  arms,  one  of 
which  passes  through  Damas- 
cus, the  other  two  water  the 
gardens  roundabout,  and  then 
re-uniting,  they  lose  themselves 
at  four  or  five  leagues  from  the 
city,  towards  the  north. 

Maundrel. 

PHENICE,  a  port  of  the 
island  of  Crete,  to  the  west  of 
the  island.  St.  Paul  having 
anchored  at  Phenice,  when  he 
was  carried  to  Rome,  Acts 
xxvi,  12,  advised  the  ship's 
crew  to  spend  the  winter  there, 
because  the  season  was  too  far 
advanced.  See  the  Map. 

PHENICIA,  or  Phoenicia, 
a  province  of  Syria,  the  limits 
of  which  have  not  always  been 
the  same.  Sometimes  its  ex- 
tent has  been  defined  from 
north  to  south,  from  Orthosia, 
as  far  as  Pelusium.  At  other 
times  its  southern  limit  has 
been  Mount  Car  m  el  and  Ptole- 
mais.  It  is  certain  that  from 
the  conquest  of  Palestine  by 
the  Hebrews,  its  limits  were 
narrow,  and  it  had  nothing  of 
the  country  of  the  Philistines, 
which  took    up    all  the  coast 


from  Mount  Carmcl,  •!  ngthe 
Mediterranean,  as  for   as    the 

borders  of  Egvpt.  It  had  also 
very  little  extent  on  the  land 
side,  because  the  Israelites, 
who  had  all  Galilee,  shut  it  up 
to  the  Mediterranean. 

Before  Joshua  made  the  con- 
quest of  Palestine,  all  the  coun- 
try was  possessed  by  the  Ca- 
naanites,  the  sons  of  Ham,  who 
were  divided  into  eleven  fami- 
lies, of  which  the  most  power- 
ful was  that  of  Canaan,  the 
founder  of  Sidon,  and  head  of 
the  Canaanites,  properly  so  cal- 
led, to  whom  the  Greeks  gave 
the  name  of  Phoenicians.  It 
was  only  those  that  preserved 
their  independence,  not  only 
under  Joshua,  but  under  Da- 
vid, Solomon,  and  the  pre- 
ceding kings.  But  they  were 
subdued  by  the  kings  of  As- 
syria and  Chaldea.  Then  they 
successively  obeyed  the  Per- 
sians, Greeks,  and  Romans,  and 
at  this  day  they  are  in  sub- 
jection to  the  Ottomans,  riot 
having  had  any  kings  of  their 
own  for  more  than  two  thou- 
sand years. ' 

The  cities  of  Phoenicia  were 
Sidon, Tyre,  Ptolemais,  Erdip- 
pa,  Sarepta,  Berythe,  Biblos, 
Tripoli,  Orthosia,  &c.  They 
had  anciently  possession  of 
some  cities  in  Libanus,  and 
sometimes  the  Greeks  com- 
prehend all  Judeaiiuhename  of 


PHI 


PHI 


Phoenicia.  The  name  Phoeni- 
cia is  not  to  be  met  with  in 
any  of  the  canonical  books 
of  scripture  writ  in  Hebrew, 
which  always  read  Canaan — 
See  Canaan. 

It  is  said  that  the  Phoeni- 
cians first  invented  the  several 
arts  of  writing,  navigation, 
commerce,  and  astronomy;  and 
Bochart  has  labored  to  show, 
that  they  sent  colonies  to  al- 
most all  the  isles  and  coasts  of 
the  Mediterranean  sea.  But 
the  most  famous  of  all  their  col- 
onies was  that  of  Carthage. 

PHILADELPHIA,  the 
same  with  Rabbah  or  Rubbath, 
the  capital  of  the  Aminonkes. 
See  Rabbath.  Some  writers 
have  mistaken  this  city  for  the 
subsequent  one. 

Philadelphia,  a  city  of 
Asia  Minor;  it  lies  27  miles 
southeast  from  Sardis  and  72 
from  Smyrna.  This  place, 
distinguished  in  scripture,  for 
the  purity  of  its  faith  and  prac- 
tice, was  by  a  gracious  provi- 
dence longer  protected  from 
Turkish  subjugation,  than  any 
of  the  other  churches  in  this 
region;  it  was  the  last  place, 
which  surrendered,  after  hav- 
ing bravely  sustained  a  seige 
of  six  years.  In  the  address 
made  to  this  church,  Rev.  iii. 
it  is  commended  for  its  zeal, 
and  not  blamed  for  any  vice. 


It  is  now  distinguished  for  its 
privileges,  which  it  obtained  by 
express  articles  of  capitulation, 
when  it  submitted  to  its  Ma- 
hometan conquerors.  They 
would  have  yielded  their  lives, 
could  they  .  not  have  retained 
their  Christian  privileges.  The 
place  is  now  called  Alashahir> 
or  the  Fair  City,  still  retain- 
ing the  form  of  a  city,  with 
something  of  trade,  being  in 
the  road  of  the  Persian  Cara- 
vans, though  the  walls,  which 
encompass  it,  are  decayed  in 
many  places,  and  according  to 
the  customs  of  the  Turks,  are 
wholly  neglected.  There  is 
little  of  antiquity  remaining, 
unless  the  ruins  of  a  church, 
dedicated  to  St.  John,  made  a 
dunghill,  to  receive  the  offals 
of  dead  beasts.  However,  be- 
ing inhabited  by  many  Greeks, 
it  is  adorned  with  twelve  chur- 
ches; of  which  St.  Mary's  and 
St.  George's  are  the  chief. 

The  situation  of  Philadel- 
phia, is  on  the  rising  of  the 
mountain  Tmolus,  having  a 
pleasant  prospect  over  the 
plains  beneath,  well  furnished 
with  divers  villages,  and  water- 
ed (as  I  take  it)  by  the  Pacto- 
lus.  The  only  rarity,  which 
the  Turks  show  in  this  place 
to  travellers,  is  "a  wall  of  mens 
bones,"  which  they  report  to 
have    been    erected,    by    the 


PHI 


PHI 


prince,  who  first  took  that  city, 
who  having  slaughtered  many 
of  the  beseiged  in  a  sally,  for 
the  terror  of  those,  who  sur- 
vived, raised  a  wall  of  their 
bones,  which  was  so  well  ce- 
mented, that  the  bones  are  yet 
entire.  Other  writers  say 
these  are  not  bones. 

Philadelphia  contains  11,000 
inhabitants,  among  whom  are 
2000  Christians,  who  have  the 
possession  of  four  churches, 
and  enjoy  the  privilege  of  a 
Greek  archbishop.  Here  are 
more  Christians,  than  in  any 
of  the  churches  of  Asia,  Smyrna 
excepted.  Their  present  state 
proves  the  divinity  of  revela- 
tion, "Because  thou  hast  kept 
the  word  of  my  patience,  I  will 
also  keep  thee  from  the  hour 
of  temptation."  The  inhabit- 
ants are  chiefly  supported  by 
the  manufacture  of  coarse  cot- 
ton and  carpets,  and  by  the 
art  of  dying,  which  is  said  to 
be  better  understood  here,  than 
in  any  other  part  of  the  neigh- 
boring country.  In  the  sub- 
urbs are  many  flocks  of  sheep 
with  ponderous  tails.  It  is 
forty  miles  E.  S.  E.  of  Smyrna, 
Ion.  28,  15,  east;  lat.  38,  28, 
north. 

Like  the  other  cities  of  this 
country,  Philadelphia  has  un- 
dergone many  changes  and  rev- 
olutions.   In  A.D.'  1097,  John 


Ducas,  the  Greek  general  to 
whom  Laodicea  submitted, 
took  Sardis  and  Philadelphia 
by  assault.  It  was  again  re- 
dueed  about  the  year  1106, 
under  the  same  emperor.  Two 
years  after,  the  Turks  marched 
from  the  east  with  a  design  to 
plunder  this  and  the  maritime 
cities.  In  1175  the  emperor 
Immanuel,  falling  into  an  am- 
buscade of  the  Turks,  not  far 
from  the  sources  of  the  Me- 
ander, retired  to  Philadelphia. 
In  1300  the  conquests  of  sul- 
tan Aladin  being  divided,  the 
inland  part  of  Phrygia,  as  far 
Cilicia  and  Philadelphia,  fell  to 
Karaman.  The  town  in  1306 
was  besieged  by  Alizuras,  who 
took  the  forts  near,  and  distress- 
ed it,  but  retired  on  the  ap- 
proach of  the  Roman  army. 
The  Tripolines  requested  suc- 
Gor  from  the  general,  on  his 
way  by  Kliara:  and  he  defeated 
the  enemy  at  Anlak.  It  is  re- 
lated, that  the  Philadelphians 
despised  the  Turks,  having  a 
tradition , that  their  city  had  never 
been  taken.  After  this  exploit 
the  grand  duke  Roger  returned 
hither,  by  the  forts  of  Kula  and 
Tumus,  and  exacted  money. 
In  1390,  Philadelphia  singly 
refused  to  admit  Bjjazet;  but 
wanting  provisions  was  forced 
to  capitulate.  It  was  ancient- 
ly matter  of  surprise  that  Phil 


PHI 


PHI 


adelphia  was  not  abandoned, 
and  yet  it  has  survived  many 
cities  less  liable  to  earthquakes, 
and  continues  now  a  consider- 
able town,  of  large  extent, 
spreading  on  the  slopes  of  three 
or  four  hills.  Of  the  wail  with 
which  it  was  encompassed, 
many  remnants  are  standing, 
but  with  large  gaps.  The  ma- 
terials of  this  fortification  are 
small  stones,  with  strong  ce- 
ment. It  is  thick  and  lofty, 
and  has  round  towers.  The 
bed  of  the  Cogamus,  which  is 
on  the  north-east  side,  was  al- 
most dry.  Going  a  little  up 
the  Cogamus,  between  the 
mountains,  in  the  bank  on  the 
right  hand, is  a  medicinal  spring 
much  esteemed,  and  resorted 
to  in  the  hot  months.  It  tastes 
like  ink,  is  clear  and  tinges  the 
earth  with  the  color  of  ochre. 
Farther  up  beyond  the  town, 
on  the  left  hand,  is  the  wall, 
which  it  has  been  said,  was 
built  with  human  bones,  after 
a  massacre,  by  one  of  the  sul- 
tans. That  wonder  is  the 
remnant  of  a  duct,  which  has 
conveyed  water  of  a  petrifying 
quality,  as  at  Laodicea.  This 
incr usted  som.c  vegetable  sub- 
stances, which  have  peiished, 
and  left  behind,  as  it  were  their 
moulds.  The  bishop  of  Phil- 
adelphia was  absent,  says  Dr. 
Chandler,  but  the  proto-papas, 


his  substitute,  whom  we  went 
to  visit,  received  us  at  his  pal- 
ace, a  title  given  to  a  very  in- 
different house,  or  rather  a  cot- 
tage, of  clay.  We  found  him 
ignorant  of  the  Greek  tongue, 
and  were  forced  to  discourse 
with  him,  by  an  interpreter,  in 
the  Turkish  language.  He 
had  no  idea  that  Philadelphia 
existed  before  Christianity,  but 
told  us  that  it  had  become  a 
city  in  consequence  of  the  ma- 
ny religious  foundations.  The 
number  of  churches  is  twenty- 
four,  mostly  in  ruins,  and  mere 
masses  of  wall  decorated  with 
painted  saints.  Only  six  are 
in  a  better  condition,  and  have 
their  priests. .  The  episcopal 
church  is  large,  and  ornament- 
ed with  gilding,  carving,  and 
holy  portraits.  The  Greeks  are 
about  three  hundred  families, 
and  live  in  a  friendly  inter- 
course with  the  Turks,  of 
whom  they  speak  well.  Nei- 
ther priests  nor  people  under- 
stand Greek,  yer  the  religious 
sen  ices  are  performed  in  that 
language. 

The  Phitadelphians  are  a 
civil  pc<  pie.  One  of  the  Greeks 
sent  us  a  small  vessel  full  of 
choice  wine.  Some  families 
beneath  t;ie  trees,  by  a  rill  of 
water,  invited  us  to  alight  and 
partake  of  their  refreshments. 
They  saluted  us  when  we  met. 


f'lij 


PHI 


Philadelphia  being  situated  on 
one  of  the  most  capital  roads 
to  Smyrna,  is  much  frequent- 
ed, especially  by  Armenian 
merchants.  The  khan,  in  which 
we  lodged,  was  very  filthy,  but 
full  of  passengers.  Mules  ar- 
rived almost  hourly,  and  were 
unladed  in  $Jie  area.  A  cara- 
van goes  regularly  to  Smyrna, 
and  returns  on  stated  days. 
Lat.  SS,  40. 

PHIL1PPI,  one  of  the  chief 
cities  of  Macedonia,  lying  to 
the  northwest  of  Neapolis,  and 
formerly  called  Dathos,  but 
afterwards  taking  its  name 
from  Philip,  the  famous  king 
of  Macedonia,  who  repaired  it. 
In  process  of  time,  it  became 
a  Roman  colony.  St.  Paul 
came  hither  in  the  52d  year  of 
the  Vulgar  era,  and  there  con- 
verted several  people;  and 
among  the  lest  L\  dia  a  seller 
of  purple.  Acts  xvi,  12,  13,  &c. 
He  also  cured  a  servant  maid, 
who  had  a  familiar  spirit,  by 
which  she  foretold  future 
events.  These  stirred  up  the 
whole  city  against  St.  Paul, 
and  the  magistrates  caused  him 
to  be  geized,  and  put  in  prison: 
but  the  day  following,  they  Jet 
him  go  our,  having  been  in- 
formed, that  he  was  a  Roman 
citizen  and  made  an  apology, 
for  ti.eir  ill  treatment. 

1  he  Philippians  were  always 
45 


full   of  acknowledgments  for 
the  grace  of  faith,  they  had  re- 
ceived from  God,  by  the  min- 
istry of  St.  Paul.     They  assist- 
ed him  on   several  occasions; 
(Philip,  iv,  16,)  they  sent  him 
money,    while    he   was  in  A- 
chaia,  and  being  informed  that 
he  was  a  prisoner   at   Rome, 
they  sent  a  deputation  to  him 
by     Epaphroditus,    proffering 
their  service  to  him   upon  all 
occasions.      Epaphroditus  fell 
sick,  and  St.   Paul  in  order  to 
deliver    the    Philippians    from 
the   concern  they    were  in,  at 
hearing  of  his   sickness,   sent 
Epaphroditus   to  them   again, 
when  he   was  recovered,  with 
an  epistle  which  is  received  as 
one  of  the  canonical  books  of 
scripture.        This    of    all    St. 
Paul's  epistles  is  the  most  pa- 
thetic,  and  most  full  of  kind 
and    affectionate     expressions. 
Near  this  town,  lay  the  fields, 
Catnpi  Philippic!,  famous  ftrr 
tv\o  great  battles,  one  between 
Julius    Caesar     and    Pompey: 
the    other   between    Augustus 
and  Antony  on  one  side,  and 
Cassius   and    Brutus    on    the 
other.       The    place  is  now  a 
scene  of  ruins;  few  inhabitants 
remain;     but  the  traveller  sees 
that    once    here   were    marble 
temples,    sumptuous    palaces, 
and  other  magnificent  monu- 
ments, the  broken  remains  of 


PHI 


PHI 


which  give  him  a  grand  idea 
of  ancient  architecture.  It  is 
70  miles  north  of  Thessalo- 
nica,  and  190  W.  from  Con- 
stantinople, lat.  42, 15  —Lucas. 

PHILISTIA,  a  territory  of 
Canaan,  now  called  Ascalon, 
with  the  region  around.  It 
contained  the  following  cities, 
according  to  Bonfrerius,  Gaza, 
Azotus,  Askalon,  Gath,  Ekron, 
Joshua  xiii,  3.  This  was  a  most 
troublesome  neighborhood  to 
Israel,  occasioned  them  many 
grievous  wars,  and  for  many 
years,  thev  endured  this  bitter 
affliction  and  cruel  bondage. 
Nor  did  they  rise  superior  to 
these  evils,  till  the  time  of  Da- 
vid. Philistia  was  only  a  nar- 
row strip  of  land  in  the  south- 
west corner,  of  Canaan,  lying, 
about  40  miles  along  the  shore, 
and  extending  about  15  miles 
back.  Yet  in  the  time  of  Saul, 
they  invaded  the  Jews  with  an 
army  of  more  than  three  hun- 
dred thousand  men.  In  the 
reign  of  David  they  again  made 
war  and  were  subdued  and 
continued  tributary  for  one 
hundred  and  fifty  years.  See 
i  Sam.  iv.  vii.  &c.  &c. 

PHILISTINES,  a  people 
of  Palestine,  who  came  thither 
from  the  isle  of  Caphtor,  which 
perhaps  means  Egypt.  See 
the  articles  Caphtor  and  Car 
naan;  but  India  was  their  ori- 
ginal settlement.     The  time  of 


their  coming  to  Palestine  is  not 
known:  however  they  had  been 
a  long  time  in  the  land  of  Ca- 
naan, when  Abraham  came 
thither  in  the  year  of  the  world 
2083.  The  name  Philistine  is 
not  Hebrew.  The  Septuagint 
generally  translate  it  strangers. 
The  Pelethitesana1  Cherethites 
were  also  Philistines,  and  the 
Septuagint  sometimes  translate 
Cherethims,  Cretes.  See  the 
article  Cherethims. 

The  Philistines  were  a  pow- 
erful people,  even  in  Abraham's 
time;  for  then  they  had  kings, 
and  were  in  possession  of  sev- 
ral  considerable  cities.  They 
are  not  comprehended  in  the 
number  of  nations,  devoted  to 
extermination  and  whose  ter- 
ritory the  Lord  had  abandoned 
to  the  Hebrews;  however  Josh- 
ua did  not  forbear  to  give  their 
lands  to  the  Hebrews,  and  to 
set  upon  them  by  command 
from  the  Lord,  because  they 
possessed  a  country,  which 
was  promised  to  the  people  of 
God.  Josh,  xv,  45 — 47,  and 
xiii,  2,  3,  but  these  conquests 
of  Joshua  must  not  have  been 
all  maintained,  since  under  the 
Judges,  under  Saul,  and  at  the 
beginning  of  the  reign  of  Da- 
vid, the  Philistines  oppressed 
the  Israelites.  True  it  is, 
Shamgar,  Samson,  Samuel, and 
Saul,  made  head  against  them: 
But  did  not  reduce  their  pow- 


PHI 


PI  IK 


er,  and  they  continued  inde- 
pendent down  to  the  reign  of 
Davfd,  who  subjected  them  to 
his  government. 

They  continued  in  subjec- 
tion to  the  kings  of  Judah, 
down  to  the  reign  of  Jehoram, 
son  of  Jchoshaphat;  that  is  for 
about  24(5  years.  However 
Jehoram  made  war  against 
them,  and  probably  reduced 
them  to  his  obedience  again; 
because  it  is  observed  in  scrip- 
ture, that  they  revolted  again, 
from  Uzziah,  and  that  this 
prince  kept  them  to  their  duty, 
through  the  time  of  his  reign. 
2  Chron.  xxi,  16,  and  xxvi,  6, 
7.  During  'he  unfortunate 
reign  of  Ahaz,  the  Philistines 
made  great  havoc  in  the  ter- 
ritories cf  Jiidahj  but  life  son 
and  successor  Hezekiah  sub- 
dued them  2  Chron.  xxviii,  18, 
and  2  Kings  xviii,  8.  Lastly 
they  regained  their  full  liberty 
under  the  latter  kings  of  Judah; 
and  we  may  see  by  the  men- 
aces denounced  against  them 
by  the  prophets  Isaiah,  Amo^, 
Zephaniah,  Jeremiah,  and  Eze- 
kiel,  that  they  brought  a  thou- 
sand hardships,  and  calamities 
upon  the  children  of  Israel,  for 
which  cruelties,  God  threaten- 
ed to  punish  them.  Esarhad- 
don  besieged  Ashdod,  or  A- 
zoth  and  took  it.  Isaiah  xx.  1. 
And  accoiding  to  Herodotus, 
Psammeticus   King  of  Egvpt 


took  the  same  city,  after  a  siege 
of  twenty-nine  years.  There 
is  great  probability,  that  Nebu- 
chadnezzar, when  he  subdued 
the  Ammonites,  Moabites,  E- 
gyptians,  and  other  nations, 
bordering  upon  the  Jews,  re- 
duced also  the  Philistines.  Af- 
ter this  they  fell  under  the  do- 
minion of  the  Persians;  then 
under  that  of  Alexander  the 
Great,  who  destroyed  the  city 
of  Gaza,  the  only  city  of  Phoe- 
nicia, that  durst  oppose  him. 
After  the  persecution  of  Ami- 
ochus  Epiphanes.  the  Asmo- 
i  82  ins  su-bjected  under  their 
obedience  several  cities  of  the 
Philistines,  and  Tryphon  gave 
to  Jonathan  Maccubseus  the 
government  of  the  whole  coast 
of  the  Mediterranean,  from 
Tyre  as  far  as  Egypt,  which  in- 
cluded all  the  country  of  the 
Philistines. 

PHRYGIA,  a  province  of 
Asia  Minor,  or  Anatolia,  or 
Natolia,  as  it  is  now  called. 
This  province  is  repeated!}' 
mentioned  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment. St.  Paul  travelled  all 
over  this  country,  comforting 
and  animating  the  Christians. 
Phrygia  proper,  according  to 
Ptolemy,  whom  we  choose  to 
follow,  was  bounded  on  the 
north  by  Pontus,  and  Bythynia, 
on  the  west  by  Mysia,  Tro^s, 
and  the  JEgean  sea,  Lydia, 
Mreonia,    and    Caria,    on    the 


PER 


PER 


south  by  Lycia,  on  the  east 
by  Pamphyiia  and  Galatia.  It 
lies  between  the  37  and  41 
degrees  of  north  latitude,  ex- 
tending- in  longitude  from  56, 
to  62  E. 

In  Phrygia  Major  were  an- 
ciently several  cities  of  great 
celt  brity,  such  as  Apamea, 
Laodicea,  Hierapolis,  Gordi- 
um,  &c.  There  were  also 
some  famous  rivers,  such  as 
Marsvas,  Maeander,  &c.  The 
Maander  is  now  called  Man- 
dre  or  Mindre,  and  was  much 
c< ..'■  bntted  by  the  ancients  for 
its  windings  and  turnings. 

The  Phrygians  accounted 
themselves  the  most  ancient 
people  in  the  world.  Their 
origip  is  extremely  dark  and 
uncertain,  Josephus  and  St. 
Jerome  say,  they  were  de- 
scended from  Togarmah,  one 
of  Corner's  sons;  and  that  they 
were  known  to  the  Hebrews 
under  the  name  of  Tigram- 
manes.  Boeharl  thinks  that 
the  Phrygians  were  the  off- 
spring of  Gomer  the  eldest 
son  of  Japheth.  The  ancient 
Phrygians  are  described  as 
superstitious*  voluptuous,  and 
effeminate,  wi  bout  ant  pru- 
dence or  forecast,  and  of  such 
a  servile  temper,  that  nothing 
but  stripes  and  ill  usage  could 
make  them  comply  with  their 
duty,  which  gave  rise  to  sev- 
eral   trite,    and     well    known 


Proverbs.  One  was  Sera  sa* 
piunt  Phrygcs,  The  Phrygians 
are  wise  too  late.  They  are 
said  to  have  been  the  first  in- 
ventors of  divination  by  the 
singing,  flying,  and  feeding  of 
birds.  Their  music  common- 
ly called  the  Phrygian  mood, 
is  alleged  by  some  as  an  ar- 
gument of  their  effeminacy. 
The  change  of  music  produces 
a  change  of  manners.  There- 
fore, in  a  Commonwealth,  on- 
ly, the  most  grave  music 
should  be  heard.  Their  gov- 
ernment was  certainly  monar- 
chical. Apamea  was  the  chief 
emporium  of  all  Asia  Minor. 
Thither  resorted  merchants 
and  traders  from  all  parts  of 
Greece,  Italy,  and  the  neigh- 
boring islands.  The  Phrygi- 
ans were  for  some  time  mas- 
ters of  the  sea,  and  none  but 
trading  nations  ever  prevailed 
on  that  element. 

For  2500  years  they  have 
been  subject  to  the  Lydians, 
the  Persians,  the  Greeks,  Rom- 
ans, and  Turks.  To  these 
last  they  are  yet  in  subjection; 
this  fatal  government  every 
where  puts  out  the  light  of 
science,  of  commerce,  of  Chris  - 
tianity,  and  breaks  down  the 
spirit  of  man. 

Colosse,  Colossus, since  call- 
ed Chouse,  or  Chonos,  or  Ko- 
nos  is  situated  on  the  south 
side  of  the   Meander,   in    this 


PEL 


PEL 


province.  It  is  mentioned  by 
ancient  geographers  as  a  con- 
siderable city;  and  its  inhabit- 
ants, to  whom  St.  Paul  wrote 
his  Epistle,  received  Christian- 
ity from  its  earliest  preaching. 
But  Eusebius  tells  us  that  it 
was  overturned  by  an  earth- 
quake very  quickly  after,  in 
the  reign  of  Nero.  It  stood 
not  far  from  Laodicea  and  Hi- 
erapolis,  as  one  may  gather 
chiefly  from  the  canonical  e- 
pistle  above  named. 

PHUT.  "The  descendants 
of  Phut,  who  was  the  son  of 
Ham,"  Gen.  x,  6;  Jer.  xlvi,  9, 
&c.  This  people  settled  in 
Africa,  but  in  what  part  it  is 
not  ascertained.  Pliny  men- 
tions the  river  Fut,  near  mount 
Atlas,  and  another  writer  sup- 
poses, this  was  a  river  of  Mo- 
rocco, at  whose  mouth  is  the 
town  of  Agasia.  From  the  time 
of  Moses  to  that  of  Kezekiah, 
the  prophets  always  mention 
this  people,  as  the  hired  auxil- 
iaries of  those  nations  to  whom 
their  prophecies  have  reference. 
It  is  however  thought  to  be 
incredible,  that  the  Phut  men- 
tioned in  Judith,  as  conquered 
by  Holof ernes,  should  have 
been  in  Morocco.  The  Ara- 
bic versions  understand  by 
Phut  a  people  in  the  southern 
part  of  Egypt,  or  perhaps  rath- 
er in  Nubia.  According  to 
Sanson,  lat.  38.     Calmet  is  of 


opinion  that  Phut  settled  either 
in  the  canton  of  Phtemphuti, 
mentioned  in  Pliny  and  Prol- 
emy,  whose  capital  was  '.' ',  am 
in  Low;er  Egypt,  inclining  to- 
wards Lybia,  or  in  the  canton 
Phtenotes  of  which  Buthus  was 
the  capital. 

PIBESETH,  a  city  of  E- 
gypt,  Ezek.  xxx,  17,  called  al- 
so Jew's  town.  It  stood  south 
from  Sin  or  Pelusium,  and  on 
the  same  stream  of  the  Nile. 
This  place  is  also  called  Bu- 
bastis,  which  signifies  a  she 
cat,  under  which  form  Diana 
was  worshipped  in  Egypt. 

PIHAHIROTH,  the  He- 
brews departing  from  Succoth 
came  to  Etham,  Exod.  xiii, 
20.  Then  the  Lord  said  to 
Moses,  speak  unto  the  children 
of  Israel  that  they  turn  and  en- 
camp before  Pihahiroth,  be- 
tween Migdol  and  the  sea,  over 
against  Baalzephon,  before  it 
shall  ye  encamp  by  the  sea. 
The  word  Pihahiroth  may  be 
explained  by  the  pass  of  lit- 
roth,  or  the  mouth  of  Hiroth. 
Moses  in  the  book  of  Num. 
xxxiii,  18,  calls  it  simply  Hi- 
roth,  in  the  Hebrew;  and  Eu- 
sebius, as  also  St.  Jerome,  in 
his  book  of  Hebrew  places, 
calls  it  by  the  same  name.  The 
Syriac  version  has  ir,  over  a- 
gainst  the  ditches.  The  Sep 
tuagint  in  Excd.  xiv,  2,  trans- 
late it,  over  against  the  village; 


PIS 


PIS 


©triers  over  against  the  place  of 
liberty,  or  the  pass  of  drought. 
Calmet  takes  Hiroth  to  be  the 
same  with  the  ci'y  Heroum,  or 
Heroopolis,  situated  at  the  ex- 
tremity or  point  of  the  Red  Sea, 
orelsethecityofPhagroriopolis, 
placed  by  Strabo  about  the 
same  place,  and  the  capital  of 
the  canton  of  Phagroriopolis. 
There  is  great  probability  that 
Pihahiroth  stands  for  the  pass 
which  was  near  Heroum.  It 
was  beyond  this  pass,  that  the 
Hebrews  went  to  encamp  upon 
the  Red  Sea.  It  was  doubtless 
the  pl..ce,or  pass,  through  which 
the  host  of  Israel  marched  to 
the  west  bank  of  the  Red  Sea. 

PIRATHON,  a  cky  of  the 
tribe  of  Ephraim,  in  the  moun- 
tain of  Amalek.  Abdon  judge 
of  Israel  was  of  this  city,  and 
was  buried  there,  Judg.  xii,  15. 
Bach  ides  caused  this  city  to  be 
fortified.  It  is  called  Phara- 
thoni,  in  1  Mace,  ix,  50. 

PISGAH,  a  mountain  be- 
yond Jordan  in  the  country  of 
Moab.  The  mountains  Nebo, 
Pisgah,  and  Abanm,  &c. 
make  but  one  chain  of  moun- 
tains. The  whole  chain  was 
probably  called  Abarim,  and 
Pisgah  was  one  summit  of  Ne- 
bo, or  perhaps  the  highest  part; 
therefore,  sometimes  Moses  is 
said  to  view  Canaan  from  Ne- 
bo, and  sometimes  from  Pis- 
gah, Deut.  3d,  and  34th  chap- 


ters. Nebo  and  Pisgah  were, 
therefore,  the  same  mountain. 
The  name  signifies  high  hill; 
it  might  be  the  highest  summit 
or  peak  in  that  region,  or  the 
highest  part  of  the  mountain. 
But  Eusebius  has  observed, 
that  Aquila,  who  translated  the 
Bible  into  Greek,  always  ren- 
ders pisgah  by  a  word,  which 
signifies  cut  out,  and  that  in 
some  places  the  Seventy  do  the 
same.  Whence  some  suppose, 
that  near  the  top  of  Nebo,  steps 
were  cut  in,  the  side  of  the 
mountain,  that  people  might 
easily  ascend,  and  that  this  part 
was  Pisgah.  According  to  the 
Hebrew  the  prospect  of  Moses 
from  Pisgah  reached  from  Dan 
in  the  north,  to  Zoar  in  the 
south;  but  in  the  Samaritan 
pentateuch  the  prospect  is  more 
extensive,  "all  the  land  from 
the  river  of  Egypt,  to  the  river, 
the  great  river  Euphrates,  to 
the  utmost  sea."  This  was 
the  extent  of  Solomon's  do- 
minions, the  utmost  bounds  of 
the  royal  power  of  the  Jewish 
kings.  Was  this  the  same 
prospect,  and  seen  '  from  the 
same  spot,  which  was  exhibit- 
ed  to  our  Lord  by  the  tempter? 
It  is  much  to  be  regretted  that 
travellers  have  not  more  par- 
ticularly described  the  views 
from  these  mountains.  This 
might  determine  the  mountain 
where  the  temptation  was  pre 


PIS 


PIS 


sentcd,  "where  the  utmost 
bounds  of  the  ancient  kings, 
the  whole  kingdom  and  do- 
minion of  thy  ancestors,"  were 
seen,  or  as  St.  Lnke  figuratively 
says,  all  the  world. 

P1SIDIA,  a  province  of 
Asia  Minor,  having  Lvcaonia 
to  the  north,  Paraphilia  to  the 
south,  Cilicia  and  Cappadocia 
to  the  east,  and  the  province  of 
Asia  to  the  west.  St.  Paul 
preached  at  Antioch  of  Pisidia, 
Acts  xiii,  14,  and  xiv,  21. 
This  country,  lying  on  the  west 
cf  mount  Taurus,  was  once 
very  populous,  having  18  cities, 
and  20  episcopal  sees;  for  sev- 
en or  eight  centuries  Christian- 
ity flourished  here;  but  the 
Turks  destroy  all  that  is  good. 
The  people  were  compared  to 
liens  for  their  courage.  Anti- 
och was  a  famous  city  of  this 
province. 

PISON,  or  Phison,  one  of 
the  four  great  rivers,  which 
watered  the  terrestrial  paradise. 
Wc  take  it  to  be  the  Phasis,  a 
famous  river  of  Cholchis.  Mo- 
ses says  that  it  runs  through  all 
the  land  of  Havilah,  and  that 
excellent  gold  is  found  there, 
Gen.  ii,  11,  12.  This  river 
has  its  source  in  the  mountains 
of  Armenia,  and  discharges  it- 
self into  the  Euxine  sea.  At 
the  mouth  it  is  about  half  a 
league  wide,  and  in  depth  about 
60  fathoms.     There  is  hardly 


any  river  in  the  world,  which 
makes  more  turnings  and  wind- 
ings, because  of  the  mountains 
it  finds  in  its  way,  whence  it 
came  to  pass,  that  in  the  time 
of  JPliny,  there  were  an  hundred 
and  twenty  bridges  over  this 
river,  and  this  is  perhaps  what 
Moses  hinted  at,  when  he  says, 
"Pison  compasseth  the  whole 
land  of  Havilah,"  which  land 
was  taken  to  be  Cholchis.  The 
gold  of  this  country  is  much 
celebrated.  All  antiquity  ex- 
tols the  riches  of  Colchis. 
Strabo  observes  that  the  rivers 
and  brooks  of  this  country,  or 
of  the  neighboring  countries, 
for  we  cannot  tell  how  far  its 
ancient  limits  might  extend, 
carried  lumps  of  gold,  along 
with  their  waters,  which  the 
inhabitants  gathered  upon 
sheep  skins  with  their  wool  on, 
or  in  wooden  trays  with  holes 
bored  in  them.  We  think  the 
gold  of  Uphaz,  or  Ophaz,  Jer. 
x,  9;  Dan.  x,  5,  sometimes 
mentioned  in  Scripture,  is  the 
same  with  that  of  Pison  or  of 
Phasis.  Calmefs  Diet.  But 
Bochart  and  others  believe  Pi- 
son  to  be  the  western  branch 
of  the  Tigris  and  Euphrates, 
after  they  are  parted,  which 
runs  along  the  coast  of  Havi- 
lah in  Arabia.  Eusebius  and 
Jerome  believe  that  Pison  is 
the  Ganges,  which  passing  in- 
to India,   there  falls  into   the 


PER 


PER 


ocean.  A  learned  modern  says, 
it  is  a  great  river  of  India,  flow- 
ing from  Paradise.  Reland  su  p- 
poses  it  was  the  Phases.  See 
India. 

PITHON,  one  of  the  cities 
that  the  children  of  Israel  built 
for  Pharaoh  in  Egypt,  Exod.  i, 
2,  during  the  time  of  their  ser- 
vitude. This  is  probably  the 
same  city  with  Pathumos,  men- 
tioned by  Herodotus,  which  he 
places  upon  the  canal  made  by 
the  kings  Necho  and  Darius, 
to  join  the  Red  sea  with  the 
Nile,  and  by  that  means  with 
the  Mediterranean.  We  find 
also  in  the  ancient  geographers, 
that  there  was  an  arm  of  the 
Nile,  called  Pathmetichus, 
Phatmicus,  Phatnicus,or  Phat- 
niticus.  Bochart  says,  that  Pi- 
thom  and  Ruamses  are  about 
five  leagues  above  the  division 
of  the  Nile,  and  beyond  this 
river,  but  this  assertion  has  no 
proof  from  antiquity.  This 
author  contentshimself  with  re- 
lating what  was  said  of  Egypt 
in  his  own  time.  Marsham 
will  have  Pithom  to  be  the 
same  as  Pclusium,  or  Dami- 
etta.     See  Rameses, 

PONTUS.  The  province 
of  Pontus  in  Asia  Minor,  is 
bounded  by  the  Euxine  Sea 
to  the  north,  Cappadocia  to  the 
south,  Paphlagonia  and  Gala- 
tia  to  the  east,  and  the  lesser 
Armenia  to  the  west.      It    is 


thought  St.  Peter  preached  iu 
Pontus,  because  he  addresses 
his  first  epistle  to  the  faithful 
of  this  province,  and  to  those 
of  the  neighboring  provinces, 
1  Pet.  i,  1.  St.  Jerome  in  Gen* 
xiv,  1,  puts  Arioch,  king  of 
Pontus,  with  Chedorlaomer 
and  his  confederates,  who  came 
to  make  war  with  the  inhabit- 
ants of  the  Pentapolis.  But 
the  Hebrew  has  MolechEllasar, 
king  ofEllasar;  Jonathan,  'king 
of  Thalassar;'  the  Syriac,  'king 
of  Dalassar,  Isaiah  xxxvii,  12, 
insinuates  to  us,  that  this  coun- 
try of  Thalassar,  was  either  in 
the  country  of  Eden  or  very 
near  it,  since  he  speaks  of  the 
children  of  Eden,  that  were  at 
Thalassar,  and  testifies  that  this 
province  was  conquered  by  the 
kings  of  Assyria,  with  the  oth- 
er provinces  about  the  Tigris. 
The  Scptuagint  and  Onkelos, 
as  well  as  Le  Clerc,  and  our 
version  of  the  Bible,  have  kept 
to  the  original  word  Ellasar; 
St.  Jerome  has  followed  Sym- 
machus,  in  translating  it  king 
of  Pontus.  Grotius  thinks  he 
was  king  of  the  Elizarians,  a 
people  of  Arabia,  mentioned  by 
Ptolemy.  But  it  is  much  more 
credible,  that  he  was  a  king, 
beyond  the  Euphrates,  as  well 
the  other  kings  with  Chedola- 
omer.     Lat.  42,  30. 

POOLS  OF  SOLOMON, 
are   distant    two   hours    from 


POT 


PRO 


Bethlehem,  the  road  lending  to 
them,  consisting  entirely  of 
rock,  is  almost  impassable. 
These  fountains  are  three,  sit- 
uated in  a  sloping  hollow  of  a 
mountain,  one  above  another; 
so  that  the  waters  of  the  up- 
permost descend  into  the  sec- 
ond, and  those  of  the  second 
into  the  third.  They  are  near- 
ly square,  and  the  breadth  of 
all  is  nearly  the  same,  being 
about  eighty  or  ninety  paces 
broad,  and  the  first  bout  one 
hundred  and  siv.\  paces  long, 
the  second  200,  and  the 
third  220.  They  are  li  ed 
with  stone  and  plastered.  These 
pools  supplied  Bethlehem  and 
Jerusalem  with  water;  a  garden 
near  these  waters  is  called  the 
garden  of  Solomon,  watered  by 
rills,  which  descend  from  the 
rocks  above. 

PTOLEMAIS,  see  Acre. 

POTTER'S  FIELD,  the 
field  purchased  with  the  silver, 
which  had  been   given  as  the 

O 

price  of  our  Savior's  blood;  it 
lay  at  the  foot  of  mount  Zion, 
on  the  west  side  of  the  valley 
of  Hinnom.  This  was  also 
called  the  field  of  blood;  but 
is  now  denominated  the  Holy 
Field.  It  is  a  small  plat  of 
ground,  not  above  thirty  yards 
long,  and  about  half  as  bio.id. 
One  moiety  of  it  is  taken  up 
by  a  square  fabric,  twelve  yards 
■46* 


high,  built  for  a  charnel  house. 
The  corpses  are  let  down  into 
it.     See  Aceldema,. 

PROMISE, /Wo/ a  coun- 
try of  Turkey  in  Asia,  divided 
from  Syria  on  the  north  by 
mount  Libanus,  or  Lebanon; 
from  Arabia  Deserta  on  the 
east  by  the  mountains  of  Seir; 
it  has  the  deserts  of  Arabia 
Petrea  south,  and  the  Medi- 
terranean west.  This  country 
is  called,  indifferently,  Canaan, 
Palestine,  Judea,  the  H>ly 
Land,  or  Land  of  Promise. 
It  was  called  Canaan  from  the 
son  of  Ham,  whose  posterity 
settled  b<  re,  i\nc\  in  Egypt,  It 
was  called  Palestine  from  the 
Philistines,  who  possessed  a 
large  portion  of  the  country;  it 
was  called  Judea,  from  Judah, 
whose  tribe  was  the  most  dis- 
tinguished and  eminent,  as  Ja- 
cob had  prophesied:  "Thy 
brethren  shall  praise  thee,"  or 
as  it  may  be  rendered,  "Thy 
brethren  shall  pride  themselves 
in  being  called  by  thy  name." 
It  was  called  the  land  of  prom- 
ise, from  being  promised  to 
Abram  and  his  posterity;  the 
Hoi}'  Land  it  is  called  on  ac- 
count of  the  signal  favors  by 
which  it  has  been  distinguish- 
ed by  Providence.  In  one  of 
her  cities  was  "the  habitations 
of  his  holiness."  Here  the 
Son  of  God  was  born;  here  he 


PRO 


PRO 


preached,  bled,  and  finished 
the  work  of  human  redemp- 
tion. 

This  country  is  200  miles 
long,  and  80  broad,  contain- 
ing 16,000  square  miles,  and 
10,240,000  acres,  including 
lakes,  rivers,  mountains,  &c. 
It  lies  between  Lat.  31,  30,  and 

33,  20  N.,  and  between  Lon. 

34,  50,  and  37,  5,  E.  from 
London, 

At  the  time  of  Abram's 
coming  into  this  country,  it 
was  divided  into  a  great  num- 
ber of  tribes  or  petty  kingdoms. 
When  Joshua  entered,  many 
ages  after,  with  an  army  of 
600,000  soldiers,  a  great  part 
of  these  nations  were  destroy- 
ed; most  of  those  who  surviv- 
ed became  tributary,  while  a 
tew  for  a  long  time  retained 
their  independence,  and  were 
very  troublesome  neighbors  to 
Israel.  The  first  settlers  of  these 
countries  were  Ham  and  his 
eleven  sons.  They  came  from 
the  confusion  at  Babel.  Heth, 
one  of  these  sons,  settled  near 
Hebron.  The  Hethites,  or  Hit- 
tites,  extended  their  settlements 
to  Beersheba,  and  the  brook 
Besor,  the  south  limit  of  Ca- 
naan. The  Jebusites,  or  chil- 
dren of  Jebus,  another  son  of 
Ham,  bordered  on  the  Hittites 
north,  and  extended  their 
towns  to  Jerusalem,which  from 


them  was  called  Jebus.  On 
the  east  of  Jordan  were  settled 
the  Amorites,  between  the  lit- 
tle river  Arnon,  on  the  south 
east,  and  mount  Gilead  on  the 
north.  The  Girgashites  set- 
tled next  above  the  Amorites 
on  the  east  side  of  the  sea  of 
Galilee.  Further  north,  round 
the  base  of  mount  Lebanon, 
were  found  the  Hivites.  The 
sons  of  Sena  are  supposed  to 
have  given  names  to  the  desert 
of  Sin  and  mount  Sinai.  The 
Pertzites  dwelt  along  the  west 
bank  of  the  Jordan.  As  far 
as  can  be  understood  from  the 
sacred  records,  such  was  the 
state  of  this  country,  with  re- 
spect to  its  inhabitants,  when 
Abram  came  here  from  Meso- 
potamia, Perhaps  it  may  give 
a  more  lucid  view  of  this  in- 
teresting country  to  mention, 
briefly ,  the  situation  of  various 
neighboring  tribes,  though  they 
will  be  more  particularly  des- 
cribed under  their  particular 
names. 

The  Ammonites,  who  were 
descended  from  Lot,  by  his 
youngest  daughter,  possessed 
a  large  territory  on  the  east 
side  of  the  Arnon,  adjoining  to 
the  Amorites. 

The  Moabites,  descended 
from  another  incestuous  son, by 
the  eldest  daughter,  dwelt  on 
each  side  the  lower  part  of  the 


PRO 


PRO 


Anion,  and  extended  them- 
selves southward  along  the 
shores  of  the  Dead  Sea.  The 
Amorites  seized  a  part  of  their 
country,  and  confined  them  to 
the  south  part  of  their  territory. 

The  Midianites  lay  contig- 
uous to  the  Ammonites  on  the 
south,  and  the  Moabites  to  the 
east  of  the  Dead  Sea.  Their 
capital  was  Midian,  it  stood  to 
the  east  of  the  Dead  Sea. 
These  people  were  descended 
from  Midian,  the  son  of  Abram 
by  Keturah.  They  were  the 
enemies  of  Israel  and  often 
corrupted  their  morals  and 
their  religion. 

The  Edomites  descended 
from  Esau,  and  inhabited 
round  the  mountains  of  Seir, 
on  the  south  of  Judea,  and 
bordering  on  Arabia  Petrea. 
The  Amalekites  early  opposed 
the  entrance  of  Israel  into  the 
land  of  Promise,  for  which  God 
required  his  people  to  wage 
perpetual  war  with  them  till 
the  name  of  Amalek  should 
be  blotted  from  the  earth. 
The  pretext  for  the  enmity  of 
this  people  was,  that  Jacob 
had  supplanted  their  progeni- 
tor Esau.  They  dwelt  along 
the  mountains  to  the  south  of 
Judea. 

Baslian,  the  country  of  Og, 
lay  on  the  north  of  Judea.  In 
this  kingdom  was  the  exten- 
sive country  of  Argob,  con- 


quered by  Moses,  Dent  iii,  4. 

Next  above  Bashan  lay  Zo- 
6ah,  and  on  the  north-east  to- 
wards the  confines  of  Syria, 
lay  Hamath. 

This  is  a  general  view  of 
ancient  Canaan,  when  Joshua 
entered  with  the  triumphant 
banner  of  Israel. 

The  twelve  tribes  of  Israel 
were  located  in  the  following 
order.  After  a  march  of  forty 
years  through  the  wilds  of 
Arabia,  they  broke  through 
the  mountains  of  Seir,  and  en- 
tered the  land  of  hills  and  val- 
lies,  of  springs  and  brooks  "a 
land  flowing  with  milk  and 
honey."  The  tribes  of  Reu- 
ben and  Gad  were  so  delighted 
with  their  new  situation,  that 
they  petitioned  for  liberty  of 
settling  on  the  spot  without 
passing  over  Jordan,  Numb, 
xxx ii,  &c.  Their  prayer,  on 
certain  conditions,  :was  grant- 
ed. Accordingly,  they  remain- 
ed on  the  east  side  'of  Jor- 
dan; but  as  this  country  was 
rather  more  than  their  propor- 
tion, one  half  the  tribe  of  Ma- 
nasseh  took  their  lot  with  them. 
Accordingly  their  Lawgiver 
gave  the  southern  part  of  this 
district  to  the  tribe  of  Reuben, 
which  extended  from  the  north- 
east coast  of  the  Dead  Sea, 
along  the  eastern  bank  of  the 
Jordan,  and  on  the  north  was 
separated   from  the    tribe    o£ 


Piio 


PRO 


Gad  by  a  small  river,  and  on 
the  south  and  south-east  from 
the  Moa biles  and  Amorites 
by  the  river  Arnon.  This 
province  or  tribe  reached  from 
Lat,  31,  40,  to  32,  25,  N.  and 
from  36,  to  37,  E.  Long,  from 
London.  The  chief  moun- 
tains were  Pisgah,  Nebo,  and 
Phegor;  the  principal  towns 
were  Heshbon,  Jasa,  Ru moth- 
Baal,  Bethphegor,  Medaba, 
Edom,  Bozra,  Beth  Jebhimoth, 
&c.  &c. 

On  the  north  of  Reuben 
lay  the  tribe  of  Gad,  extending 
up  the  Jordan  on  the  eastern 
side,  having  the  half  tribe  of 
Manasseh  on  the  north,  and  rhe 
Ammonites  on  the  east.  This 
was  likewise  a  fertile  tract)  af- 
fording good  pasturage.  The 
chief  towns  were  Mahana- 
im,  and  Penuel,  both  so  cal- 
led by  Jacob,  on  account  of 
the  heavenly  visions,  which 
t'icre  comforted  his  heart. 
Here  was,  also,  Succoth,  where 
he  built  booths  for  his  cattle, 
also  Mispha,  Kabbah,  Ramoth, 
and  Rogclim,  the  native  place 
of  good  old  Barzillai,  who 
supported  David  in  has  flight 
from  Absalom.  In  this  tribe 
Was  also  Sharon,  and  Enon, 
where  afterwards  John  baptiz- 
ed mam'  people. 

North  of  Gad  extended  the 
half  tribe  of  Manassth  to  the 
head  waters  of  the  Jordan,  and 


from  the  north-east  to  the 
south-west,  in  a  crescent  rose 
the  mountains  of  Rermon,  and 
Bashan,  and  Gilead.  This 
canton  was  afterwards  called 
Galilee  of  the  Gentiles,  bt  ing 
as  larg?  as  the  portion  of  Reu- 
ben and  Gad.  It  lay  between 
Lat.  32,  36,  and  33,  36,  N. 
and  Long.  36,  30,  and  37, 
20,  E. 

East  from  the  half  tribe  of 
Manasseh,  across  the  Jordan 
lay  the  tribe  of  Naphtali.  This 
was  a  very  fruitful  district,  in 
the  north  of  which  were  the  two 
springs,  Jor  and  Dan,  the 
sources  of  the  Jordan.  This 
tribe  extended  from  mount 
Lebanon  down  the  river  to  the 
sea  of  Galilee,  and  contained 
many  populous  cities.  Between 
this  and  the  Mediterranean  lay 
the  tribe  of  Askfk.  in  the  north- 
west corner  oi  the  country. 
This  region  was  remarkably 
fruitful  in  corn,  wine,  and  oil. 
As  Jacob  had  prophesied  of 
Asher,  '-His  bread  shall  be  fat, 
and  he  shall  yield  royal  dain- 
ties." 

South  of  these  was  seated 
the  tribe  ol  Zebulon,  having 
the  sea  of  Tiberias  east,  and 
the  Mediterranean  west,  and 
bounded  by  the  river  Kishon 
south.  The  situation  precisely 
verified  the  prediction  of  Ja- 
cob, many  ages  before,  "Zeb- 
ulon shall  dwell  at  the  haven  of 


PRO 


FRO 


the  sea,  and  he  shall  be  for  a 
haven  of  ships."  Moses  had 
also  prophesied  in  the  same 
style,  "that  lie  should  suek  the 
abundance  of  the  seas,  and  of 
the  treasures  hid  in  the  sand." 
From  the  sand  of  the  river  Be- 
lus,  which  watered  this  tribe, 
abundance  of  glass  was  made. 
Here  were  several  ports  and 
populous  cities.  Sicaminum, 
and  Acre  were  celebrated  har- 
bors on  the  same  bay.  Here 
were  also  Nazareth,  Tabor,  and 
Joppa.  South  of  Zebulon  lay 
the  tribe  of  Issachar,  extend- 
ing from  the  Mediterranean  to 
the  Jordan,  opposite  to  the 
tribe  of  Gad.  Here  were 
many  celebrated  places,  among 
which  are  Carmel,  Gilboa, 
Jezreel,  where  poor  Naboth 
■was  stoned  for  not  selling  his 
vineyard  to  Ahab,  Shunem^ 
where  lived  the  hospitable  wo- 
man, who  entertained  the  good 
prophet  Elisha,  Endor,  where 
the  Pythoness  entertained  Saul, 
and  raised  Samuel,  Naln^ 
where  Jesus  Christ  raised  the 
widow's  son,  &c. 

South  of  Issachar  was  settled 
the  other  half  tribe  of  Manas- 
seh;  afterwards  this  canton  was 
called  Samaria,  bounded  west 
by  the  Mediterranean,  east  by 
the  Jordan.  This  was  a  de- 
lightful portion  of  Canaan,  re- 
markably varied  in  its  appear- 
ance by  plains  and  hills,   and 


mountains,  well  watered  and 
enriched  with  a  luxurious  soil. 

On  the  banks  of  the  Jordan 
rose  the  splendid  turrets  of 
Bethshan;  some  of  its  marble 
ruins  still  remain.  On  its 
bloody  walls  were  hung  the 
bodies  of  Saul  and  Jonathan, 
after  the  defeat  on  mount  Gil- 
boa.  Other  opulent  cities  en- 
riched this  district.  South  of 
Samaria,  Ephraim  reached 
from  the  sea  to  the  river  Jor- 
dan, bounded  south  by  Benja- 
min and  Dan.  The  land  of 
Ephraim  was  mountainous  and 
rocky,  but  the  valleys  were 
fruitful.  Sharon,  and  Shiloh, 
and  many  other  cities  stood  in 
this  region. 

Judea,  properly  so  called, 
embi-aced  the  tribes  of  Benja- 
min, Judah,  Dan,  and  Simeon. 
This  was  the  most  important 
section  of  the  country,  having 
the  Mediterranean  west,  the 
tribe  of  Ephraim  north,  the 
Jordan  and  Dead  sea  east,  and 
Idumea  south.  The  soil  here, 
likewise,  was  remarkably  pro- 
ductive, the  surface  is  beauti- 
fully varied  with  hills,  and 
plains,  and  valleys,  with  de- 
serts, pleasant  streams,  springs, 
and  rivulets,  producing  plenty 
of  the  comforts  and  luxuries 
of  life.  This  is  the  warmest 
district  of  Canaan,  lying  in  tat. 
32;  but  the  sea  and  the  moun- 
tains  in   the  vicinitv  cool  the 


PRO 


PRO 


air,  and  render  the  country  de- 
lightful. Benjamin  lay  south 
of  Ephraim,  and  had  the  Jor- 
dan east,  and  Philistia  and  part 
of  Dan  west,  which  lay  be- 
tween Benjamin  and  the  sea. 
sThe  cities  of  this  tribe  were 
not  so  numerous,  as  those  of 
some  others;  but  they  were  the 
most  celebrated.  Here  was 
Jerusalem,  and  other  places 
rendered  remarkable  by  the 
great  events,  which  there  took 
place.  Here  was  mount  Mo- 
riah  and  mount  Zion,  Nebo, 
Gihon,  Olivet,  and  Golgotha, 
also  Bethany,  Gethsemane, 
Sec.     See  Jerusalem. 

The  tribe  of  Judah  lay  south 
of  Benjamin,  extending  south- 
east to  the  mountains  of  Seir, 
and  the  territory  of  Idumea, 
being  47  miles  in  length.  It 
was  bounded  east  by  the  Dead 
sea,  and  west  by  Dan  and  Sim- 
eon, which  lay  between  Judah 
and  the  Mediterranean.  This 
was  the  largest  and  most  pop- 
ulous of  all  the  tribes,  the  men 
were  the  most  warlike;  it  was 
the  royal  tribe.  P^xcept  at  the 
south,  near  the  mountains,, 
where  it  was  rather  barren,  this 
district  was  opulent  in  the  pro- 
ductions of  the  field  and  gar- 
den. Here  Abram  and  his  de- 
scendants dwelt,  ti!l  they  went 
down  to  Egypt;  here  are  many 
sepulchres  of  the  patriarchs. 

Between   the  tribe  of  Judah 


and  the  sea,  lay  the  two  remain- 
ing tribes  of  Dan  and  Simeon. 
Simeon  lay  at  the  south-west 
corner  of  Canaan,  being  bound- 
ed south  by  the  brook  Sichor, 
or  river  of  Egypt;  the  territory 
was  small  and  barren.  The 
Philistines,  however,  for  a  long 
time  held  a  great  part  of  the 
coast,  and  a  number  of  the 
principal  cities  in  these  tribes, 
as  Gath,  Accaron,  Ashdod,  or 
Azotos,  Ascalon,  and  Gaza. 
Dan  was  bounded  north  by 
Ephraim,  south  by  Judah  and 
Simeon.  Its  greatest  length 
from  north  to  south,  was  40 
miles,  25  miles  broad.  The 
small  extent  of  this  tribe  in- 
duced some  of  the  inhabitants 
to  emigrate  to  Laish,  near  the 
head  watersof  the  Jordan,  Judg. 
xviii,  7,  &c.  It  was,  however, 
a  remarkably  fruitful  part  of 
Canaan,  abounding  in  wheat, 
oil,  grapes,  and  all  kinds  of 
fruit.  The  most  considerable 
towns  were  Joppa,  now  Jaffa, 
Ajalon,  Zora,  &c.  We  here 
remark,  as  we  have  concerning 
several  other  tribes,  the  remark- 
able fulfilment  of  Jacob's  pro- 
phecy concerning  the  destinies 
of  Simeon  and  Levi.  These 
tribes  felt  the  sad  effects  of  their 
father's  curse,  as  long  as  they 
existed,  for  their  cruel  slaugh- 
ter of  the  innocent  Shechem- 
ites,  "Cursed  be  their  anger 
for  it  was  fierce,  and  their  wrath* 


PRO 


PRO 


for  it  was  cruel;  I  will  divide 
them  in  Jacob,  and  scatter  them 
in  Israel."  Levi  had  no  lot, 
nor  inheritance  among  the 
tribes;  only  a  few  cities  and 
territories  were  appointed  to 
them,  with  the  tithes,  paid  by 
the  rest;  but  such  was  often 
the  irreligion  of  Israel,  that  the 
tithes  were  poorly  paid;  God 
himself  was  robbed,  and  the  Le- 
vites  were  reduced  to  poverty 
and  want.  As  to  Simeon,  tho' 
he  had  a  lot  among  his  breth- 
ren, it  was  a  frontier  corner  of 
the  country,  always  exposed  to 
be  harassed  by  the  Philistines 
on  one  side,  and  the  Idumeans 
en  the  other.  Their  country 
was  small,  and  loaded  with  bar- 
ren mountains.  Hence  from 
the  beginning,  they  were  ob- 
liged to  seek  a  livelihood  a- 
rriong  the  other  tribes.  Often  they 
volunteered  themselves  as  mer- 
cenaries to  fight  their  battles, 
receiving  some  small  share  of 
the  conquest  for  their  reward; 
often  they  were  employed  a- 
broad  as  scribes,  notaries, 
schoolmasters,  &c.  So  dread- 
ful, so  long  continued,  is  the 
punishment  of  sin. 

Four  hundred  and  seventy- 
six  years  after  the  settlement  of 
the  Israelites  in  the  land  of  Ca- 
naan, the  kingdom  was  divid- 
ed. Judah  and  Benjamin  form- 
ed the  kingdom  of  Judah.  The 
other  ten  tribes  were  denomin- 


ated the  kingdom  of  Israel. 
This  kingdom,  two  hundred 
and  fifty-four  years  after  their 
independence,  was  demolished, 
and  the  people  led  away  cap- 
tive by  the  Assyrians,  and  their 
country  settled  by  strangers, 
who  were  called  Samaritans. 
About  one  hundred  and  thirty 
years  after  this,  the  Babyloni- 
ans carried  away  the  people  of 
Judah,  leaving  their  country 
uninhabited.  About  A.  D. 
70  the  country  was  again  taken 
by  the  Romans;  Jerusalem  was 
razed  from  its  foundations; 
more  than  a  million  of  people 
were  destroyed,  and  the  rest 
dispersed  all  over  the  world,  in 
every  part  of  which  they  are 
found  at  the  present  day,  ac- 
cording to  various  prophecies. 
Jerusalem  was  again  taken  by 
the  Persians  in  A.  D.  614,  and 
again  by  the  Saracens  in  636. 
In  1099  it  was  taken  from  the 
infidels  by  an  army  of  Christians 
under  Godfrey.  The  Chris- 
tians kept  possession,  till  1187, 
when  it  was  again  subdued  by 
Suladin.  In  A.  D.  1217  the 
Turks  expelled  the  Saracens, 
and  have  retained  the  country 
to  the  present  time. 

The  modern  Palestine,  is 
now  governed  by  a  Beglerberg, 
whose  seat  is  at  Damascus. 
From  the  Turks  we  learn  noth- 
ing respecting  this  country. 
From    strangers  they    conceal 


PRO 


PRO 


every  thing  in  their  power;  we 
shall  present  what  has  occurred 
most  worthy  of  notice,  from  a 
considerable  list  of  travellers 
and  other  writers.  A  general 
idea  of  the  climate  may  be 
formed  from  the  following  cir- 
cumstances: In  July,  August, 
and  September  1801,  the  ther- 
mometer never  rose  higher  than 
95  degrees  of  Farenheit.  The 
sky  was  beautifully  clear,  with- 
out a  cloud,  the  atmosphere 
pure  and  benign.  In  October 
and  November  the  rains  fell 
with  violence.  During  the  pre- 
ceding parts  of  the  year,  there 
had  been  little  rain,  but  copious 
dews  (even  in  a  total  suspen- 
sion of  showers)  were  sufficient 
to  brine:  forward  vegetation. 
The  prevailing  winds  in  sum- 
mer are  from  the  north  and 
north-west.  In  the  latter  part 
of  November  the  rains  cease 
to  fall;  the  weather  again  be- 
comes pleasant  and  salubrious. 
At  this  season,  before  sunrise, 
the  thermometer  ranges  from 
42  to  53,  at  noon  from  66  to 
76.  On  the  coast  the  seabreezes 
prevail  through  the  day;  in  the 
evening  they  give  place  to  a 
gentle  land  breeze,  which 
continues  till  nine  o'clock  in 
the  morning.  In  1801  the 
weather  in  January  was  tem- 
pestuous, with  heavy  rains, 
vivid  lightnings,  awful  and  tre- 
mendous  explosions  of  thun- 


der. In  one  instance  was  a  lit- 
tle hail.  But  by  the  10th  of 
February  the  air  became  warm 
and^ranquil,  the  fields  appeared 
verdant,  and  the  aspect  of  the 
country  cheerful. 

This  country  may  be  con- 
sidered, as  rather  mountainous; 
but  in  several  parts  are  exten- 
sive plains,  intersected  with 
moderate  hills.  Near  Joppa 
are  such  plains.  As  you  ap- 
proach Jerusalem  the  moun- 
tains are  lofty;  their  rocky  sides 
are  scarcely  covered  with 
earth,  bearing  at  present  noth- 
ing but  olive  trees,  whose  roots 
penetrate  the  crevices  of  the 
rocks.  The  trees  conceal  the 
barren  appearance  of  the  moun- 
tains. At  present  the  country 
is  very  thinly  covered  with 
trees,  having  few  woods  or 
thickets.  Wherever  the  land 
is  capable  of  being  cultivated, 
(unless  it  be  entirely  neglected 
by  the  lazy  Turks)  abundant 
crops  of  wheat,  barley,  Indian 
corn,  tobacco,  and  cotton,  are 
produced.  Pomegranites,  figs, 
oranges,  lemons,  citrons,  mel- 
ons, grapes,  and  olives,  are  ev- 
ery where  plenty.  The  mel- 
ons are  large,  weighing,  com- 
monly 20  or  50  pounds.  In 
December  they  have  not  lost 
their  exquisite  flavor.  The 
people  are  excessively  fond  of 
them,  and  during  the  summer 
months,   they   furnish  a  great 


PRO 


PRO 


;heir  subsistence.  But 
so  wretched  is  the  state  of  so- 
ciety, so  hopeless  their  labors, 
that  the  fields  of  Canaan  are 
generally  open  or  unfenced. 
Where  enclosures  have  been 
attempted,they  are  formed  with 
the  prickly  pear  tree.  They  use 
a  wooden  plough,  drawn  by  one 
pair  of  oxen;  barley,  and  wheat 
are  sown  in  January  and  reaped 
in  May.  Numerous  flocks  of 
sheep  and  goats  are  spread 
over  the  country.  The  people 
live  chiefly  on  vegetables;  they 
eat  no  veal,  and  but  little  beef. 
Their  most  common  meat  is 
mutton  and  goats  flesh.  Grapes 
are  a  considerable  article  of 
food,  and  few  can  afford  to 
make  them  into  wine;  that 
which  is  made  is  excellent. 
Their  mules  are  large;  their 
horses  small  and  swift.  They 
also  enjoy  the  aid  of  the  nobie 
camel. 

The  inhabitants,  who  are 
chiefly  Turks  and  Arabs,  are 
extremely  simple  and  abste- 
mious in  their  diet,  which 
consists  chiefly  of  salted  olives, 
bad  cheese,  coarse  bread, 
poorly  baked,  and  rancid  but- 
ter or  oil.  When  they  eat 
flesh,  it  is  stewed  with  rice; 
water  is  their  common  drink. 
The  people  are  in  general  of  an 
ordinary  stature,  of  a  spare  and 
thin  make,  but  alert  and  ac- 
tive. Thev  walk  and  run  with 
47 


great  speed,  and  being  inured 
to  privations  and  fatigue,  they 
are  capable  of  enduring  great 
exertions  for  a  long  time,  with 
very  scanty  sustenance.  In 
this  they  remarkably  resemble 
our  Indians.  Their  hair  is  a 
shining  black,  very  long,  and 
dr.  ssed  in  a  fanciful  manner. 
Their  countenances  are  mea- 
gre and  wan,  and  sometimes 
almost  black.  The  rare  oc- 
currence of  pulmonary  or  con- 
sumptive complaints,  and  the 
numerous  instances  of  longev- 
ity among  the  inhabi'ants, 
many  of  whom  live  to  be  100, 
or  110  years  of  age,  are  argu- 
ments to  prove  the  healthy 
climate  of  Palestine.  As  the 
character,  if  I  may  so  term  it, 
of  this  country  is  a  subject  of 
contest  between  Christians  and 
Infidels,  as  the  latter  exult  in 
the  disadvantageous  circum- 
stances in  which  they  now  find 
it,  doubtless  it  will  be  expect- 
ed that  this  subject  should  be 
carefully  examined.  Some 
repetition  will  I  e  considered 
only  as  evidence  coiroborated 
and  multiplied.  Vohaiie  and 
other  infidel  writers  have  raised 
difficulties  and  objections  a* 
gainst  the  authority  of  scripture 
itself,  and  strengthened  the 
cause  of  impiety  and  atheism 
from  the  pretended  sierility  of 
Palestine.  In  answer  to  which, 
the  Abbe  Guenec,    about   the 


PRO 


PRO 


year  1780,  communicated  to 
the  Academy  of  Inscriptions, 
and  belles  letters  at  Paris,  two 
Memoirs  concerning  the  fertil- 
ity of  Palestine,  in  order  to 
show  that  such  objections  had 
no  solid  foundation. 

In  the  first  of  them  the  au- 
thor proves,  that  from  the  cap- 
tivity of  Babylon  to  the  war  of 
Adrian,  Judea  was  always 
considered  a  rich  and  fertile 
country.  The  positive,  and 
multiplied  authorities  of  the 
writers  of  that  period,  Jews, 
Greeks,  and  Romans,  not  only 
attest  in  general  the  fertility  of 
that  country,  but  many  of  these 
writers  enteringinto  a  particular 
detail  of  circumstances,  prove 
it  from  the  nature  of  the  climate, 
the  qualities  of  the  soil,  and 
the  excellencies  and  variety  of 
its  productions.  These  are 
confirmed  by  proofs  of  another 
kind,  but  which  are  of  a  very 
convincing  nature,  even  those 
resulting  from  a  great  number 
of  medals  struck,  under  the 
reigns  of  the  kings  of  Syria, 
and  Judea,  and  under  the  Ro- 
mans, both  by  Jews  and  Pagans, 
which  all  bear  the  symbols  of 
a  rich  fertility.  To  these  proofs 
are  added  a  multitude  of  facts, 
recorded  in  the  history  of  the 
Jews  during  this  period;  the 
efforts  of  the  neighboring  kings 
to  conquer  their  country;  the 
long  and  bloody  wars  that  the 


Jews  carried  on  with  vigor  and 
sometimes  with  success,  against 
powerful  princes,  and  nations', 
the  tribute  and  taxes  they  paid 
to  the  kings  of  Egypt  and  Syr- 
ia, to  the  Romans,  and  to  their 
own  princes;  the  magnificence 
of  their  sovereigns,  and  among 
others  of  Herod;  the  troops  he 
raised,  and  kept  on  foot;  the 
temples,  fortresses,  palaces, 
and  cities  which  he  erected, 
and  embellished,  not  only  in 
his  own  country  but  in  Syria, 
Asia  Minor,  and  even  in 
Greece;  the  immense  sums 
he  lavished  among  the  Rom- 
ans, the  donations  he  made  to 
his  own  people,  and  the  vast 
treasures,  which  he  left  behind 
him:  all  these  circumstances 
concur  in  proving  the  fertility 
and  riches  of  Palestine  during 
that  period. 

In  the  second  Memoir  the 
the  Abbe  Guenee  considers  the 
state  of  Palestine,  as  it  was  from 
the  emperor  Adrian  to  the  Cal- 
iphate of  Omar,  which  compre- 
hends a  period  of  four  centu- 
ries. From  sundry  facts,  he 
shows  that  it  could  not  have 
been  the  barren  country,  which 
it  has  been  represented  by  some 
skeptical  writers.  He  particu- 
larly mentioned  the  project 
formed  by  Adrian  of  building 
and  embellishing  Jerusalem,  of 
forming  it  into  a  Roman  colo- 
ny, and  giving  it  his  own  name, 


PRO 


PRO 


u  project  of  which  he  could  nev- 
er have  entertained  a  thought, 
if  Judea,  winch  he  had  seen, 
and  examined  with  his  own 
eyes,  had  appeared  to  him  such 
a  barren  and  wretched  country, 
as  it  is  said  to  be  by  some,  who 
have  neither  seen  that  country, 
nor  examined  the  matter  with 
care  and  attention.  Our  author 
also  produces  a  variety  of  oth- 
er facts  to  show  that  Judea, 
after  all  that  it  had  suffered 
from  the  desolations  of  war 
both  in  ancient  and  modern 
times,  still  remained  at  the  pe- 
riod in  question,  fertile,  rich, 
and  populous.  This  is  the 
idea,  which  the  writers  of  the 
time,  Pagan  and  Christian,  as 
well  as  Jewish,  have  given  of 
Palestine.  Antoninus  Marty  n, 
a  citizen  of  Placentia,  who  in 
the  sixth  century  travelled  to 
Palestine,  and  composed  an 
account  of  his  vova<re,  which 
is  still  extant,  says  that  the 
canton  of  Nazareth  was  not  in- 
ferior to  Egypt  in  corn  and 
fruits,  and  that  though  the  ter- 
ritory of  that  city  is  not  very 
extensive,  it  abounded  in  wine, 
and  oil,  and  excellent  honey. 
The  country  about  Jericho  ap- 
peared to  him  still  more  fer- 
tile. He  saw  mount  Tabor, 
which  he  represents  as  sur- 
mounted with  cities;  and  he  ob- 
served in  the  neighborhood  of 
Jerusalem,     vineyards,     great 


plantations  of  fruit  trees,  and 
through  the  whole  country  a 
considerable  number  of  hospi- 
tals, monasteries,  and  beautiful 
edifices. 

It  ought  to  be  considered 
that  this  country  was  then  in- 
habited by  an  industrious  peo- 
ple, who  knew  how  to  improve 
every  inch  of  their  land,  and 
had  made  even  the  most  bar- 
ren places  to  yield  some  kind 
of  productions,  by  proper  care 
and  manure,  so  that  the  very 
rocks,  which  now  appear  quite 
bare  and  naked,  were  made  to 
produce  corn,  and  pulse  or 
pasturage.  We  may  add,  that 
the  kings  themselves  were  not 
above  encouraging  all  kind  of 
agriculture,  both  by  precept 
and  example,  and  that  above 
all,  they  had  a  Divine  blessing 
promised  to  their  honest  en- 
deavors and  industry;  but  now 
it  is  and  hath  been  long  inhab- 
ited by  a  poor,  lazy,  indolent 
people,  groaning  under  an  in- 
tolerable servitude,  and  all 
manner  of  discouragements;  by 
which  their  aversion  to  labor 
and  agriculture,  further  than  to 
supply  their  present  wants,  is 
become  in  a  manner  natural 
and  invincible.  The  judicious 
Mr.  Maundrel  observes  that 
there  is  no  forming  an  idea  of 
its  ancient  flourishing  state 
when  under  the  blessing  ol 
heaven,  from  what    it    is    now 


PRO 


PRO 


under  a  visible  curse.  And  if 
we  had  not  several  concurring 
testimonies,  from  profane  au- 
thors, who  have  extolled  the 
fecundity  of  Palestine,  that 
single  one  of  Ji.lian,  the  apos- 
tate, a  sworn  enemy  to  the 
Jews  and  Christians,  would  be 
more  than  sufficient  to  prove 
it,  who  frequently  makes  men- 
tion in  his  epistles,  of  the  per- 
petuity, as  well  as  excellence 
and  great  abundance  of  its 
fruits  and  productions.  The 
visible  effects  ol  God's  anger, 
which  this  country  has  felt,  not 
only  under  Titus  Vespasian, 
but  much  more  since  that  erm 
peror's  time,  in  the  inundations 
of  the  northern  barbarians,  of 
the  Saracens,  and  of  the  more 
cruel  and  desrruciive  Chris- 
tians, during  the  Holy  War; 
and  in  the  oppression  it  now 
feels  tinker  the  Turkish  yoke; 
may  be  easily  owned  to  be 
more  than  sufficient  to  have 
wrought  she  dismal  change, 
we  are  speaking  of,  and  to 
have  reduced  the  far  greater 
part  into  a  me»e  desert. 

Nevertlu  less,  if  we  may 
credit  those,  who  have  viewed 
it  in  this  doleful  condition,  they 
will  teii  us,  there  are  still  such 
visible  signs  of  its  natural 
richness,  and  fertility,  as  plain- 
ly show,  that  the  bare  want  of 
culture  is  the  main,  if  not  the 
only  cause  of  its  present  pov- 
erty and  barrenness. 


^  "The  Holy  Land  (says  Dr, 
Shaw,)  were  it  as  well  peopled, 
and  cultivated,  as  in  former 
times,  would  still  be  more 
fruitful,  than  the  best  part  of  the 
coast  of  Syria,  and  Phoenice; 
for  the  soil  in  general  is  much 
richer,  and  all  things  consider- 
ed, yields  better  crops.  Thus 
the  cotton,  which  is  gathered 
in  the  plains  of  Ramah,  Esdre- 
eion,  and  Zebulon,  is  in  greater 
esteem,  than  what  is  cultivated 
near  Sidon,  and  Tripoli.  Nei- 
ther is  it  possible  for  pulse, 
wheat,  or  any  sort  of  grain,  to 
be  more  excellent,  than  what 
is  sold  at  Jerusalem.  The  bar- 
renness, or  scarcity  radier, 
which  some  authors  may, either 
ignorantly  or  maliciously,  com- 
plain of,  doth  not  proceed  from 
the  incapacity,  or  natural  un- 
fruitiulness  of  the  country,  but 
from  the  want  of  inhabitants, 
and  their  great  aversion  to  la- 
bor and  industry.  There  are, 
besides,  such  perpetual  dis- 
cords, and  depredations,  among 
tiic  pttt\  prmces,  who  share 
this  fine  country,  that  allowing 
it  was  better  peopled,  yet^herc 
would  be  small  encouragement 
to  sou,  when  it  was  uncer 
who  should  gather  in  the  har- 
vest. O'herwise,  the  land  is 
"a  good  iai.d,"  and  still  capa- 
ble ot  ailoruing  its  neighbors, 
the  same  supplies  of  corn,  and 
oil,  which  it  is  known  to  have 
done,  in  the  time  of  Solomon." 


PRO 


PRO 


And  Volney  in  his  Travels  in 
Egypt  and  Syria,  says  that 
though  the  whole  of  Palestine, 
is  almost  an  entire  level  plain, 
without  either  river  or  rivulet, 
in  summer,  more  doura,  sesa- 
mum,  water-melons,  and  beans, 
are  sown  here,  than  in  any 
other  part  of  the  country. 
They  also  raise  cotton,  barley, 
and  wheat;  but  though  the  lat- 
ter be  most  esteemed,  it  is  less 
cultivated,  for  fear  of  inviting 
the  avarice  of  the  Turkish  gov- 
ernors, and  the  rapacity  of  the 
Arabs. 

In  the  clays  of  the  Jewish 
prosperity,  this  country  sup- 
ported more  than  8,000,000  of 
inhabitants. 

The  militia  in  the  reign  of 
David  amounted  to  1,300,000. 
But  this  glory  of  all  lands,  as 
foretold  in  the  prophecy,  has  in 
a  great  degree  long  been  deso- 
late and  waste;  and  as  Dr.  Ad- 
am supposes,  now  has  not  more 
than  400,000  inhabitants.  The 
words  of  their  legislator  are  lit- 
erally fulfilled,  "Thou  shalt 
plant  a  vineyard,  and  shalt  not 
gather  the  grapes;  thou  shalt 
be  oppressed,  and  crushed." 
Instead  of  being  convinced  by 
this,  infidels  have  made  it  an 
argument  to  confirm  their  in- 
fidelity. Deists  have  doubted 
whether  this  country  was  ever 
so  fruitful,  as  He,  who  made  it, 
declares   it   was;     "A  land  of 


wheat,  and  barley,  of  vines, 
and  figs,  of  milk  and  honey.' 
Yet  all  this,  learned  and  judi- 
cious travellers  confirm.  Mr. 
Maundrel  asserts,  "That  there 
is  no  place  upon  the  earth  more 
fruitful,  even  at  present,  than 
the  plain  country,  and  valleys, 
either  lor  the  production  of 
corn,  or  pasturage  of  cattle.'7 
The  hills  also  bear  corn,  mel- 
ons, gourds,  cucumbers,  and 
other  vegetables,  which  for  sev- 
eral months  in  the  year,  are 
the  chief  food  of  these  coun- 
tries. The  most  rocky  parts 
might  bear  vines  and  olive 
trees;  and  even  the  salt  plains 
of  the  Dead  sea  produce  honey. 
Dr.  Shaw  asserts  that  were  the 
holy  land  as  well  cultivated  as 
in  former  times,  it  would  be 
more  fruitful  than  the  best  part 
of  Syria,  or  Phoenicia;  for  the 
soil  is  generally  much  richer, 
and  all  things  considered  yields 
much  better  crops.  It  is  im- 
possible for  pulse,  wheat  or 
grain  to  exceed  what  is  gener- 
ally sold  in  Jerusalem.  There- 
fore the  barrenness  of  which 
some  authors  complain  does 
not  proceed  from  the  natural 
unfruitfulness  of  the  country, 
but  from  a  want  of  inhabitants, 
the  aversion  to  labor  which  pre- 
vails among  the  few  who  pos- 
sess it,  and  the  perpetual  dis- 
cords, and  depredations  among 
the   petty  princes,  who  sha;e 


PRO 


PRO 


this  fine  country;  so  that  who- 
ever sows  is  uncertain  who 
shall  gather  the  harvest.  He 
says,  "I  travelled  in  Syria,  in 
December  and  January;  the 
whole  country  looked  verdant, 
and  cheerful,"  Mr.  Wood, 
another  observing  traveller,  tells 
us,  "The  valley  of  Bochat,  in 
which  Baalbec  is  situated, 
might  be  rendered  one  of  the 
must  beautiful  places  in  Syria, 
for  it  is  more  fertile  than  the 
celebrated  vaie  of  Damascus, 
whose  clusters  of  grapes,  ac- 
cording to  Lucas,  weighed  30 
or  40  pounds,  and  better  water- 
ed than  the  rich  plains  of  Es- 
drelon,  and  Rama.  The  re- 
gion round  Joppa,  Lusignan 
calls  "This  fertile  country." 
The  Baron  De  Tott,  speaking 
of  the  country  between  Joppa, 
and  Rama,  says,  "six  leagues 
in  breadth  it  is  extremely  fer- 
tile." Thevenot  says  he  was 
"stricken  with  the  corn  land, 
the  meadows,  and  fair  cattle,  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Gaza." 
A  native  of  the  country  says, 
"In  both  the  Galilees  there  are 
fat,  and  fruitful  pastures,  and 
they  are  planted  with  all  kinds 
of  trees,  so  as  to  entice  those, 
who  are  no  lovers  of  husband- 
ry. The  country  of  Samaria 
is  wonderfully  fruitful.  Judea 
like  Samaria  is  mountainous 
and  rich,  fit  for  husbandry. 
But   we   need   not  inquire  of 


travellers.  The  following  facts 
demonstrate  its  fertility. 

The  plain  of  Acra  for  want 
of  culture  is  overrun  with 
weeds,  as  high  as  the  horses 
backs;  a  tree  on  Lebanon  is  12 
yards  6  inches  in  circumfer- 
ence, 37  yards  in  the  spread  of 
its  boughs,  which  divides  at 
the  height  of  5  yards  into  5 
branches,  each  equal  to  a  large 
tree."  That  man  has  not  be- 
gun his  observations  on  differ- 
ent soils,  who  imagines  that 
such  weeds,  or  such  trees  rise 
from  any,  bat  the  richest  lands. 
In  Maine,  New  Hampshire,  and 
Vermont  their  most  lofty  trees 
are  found  only  in  their  richest 
vales  and  pin  ins.  According- 
ly Bowen,  and  others,  say  that 
"without  manuring,  and  plow- 
ins:  onlv  with  a  wooden  coul- 
ter,  one  horse,  or  a  yoke  of 
oxen,  Palestine  produces  a 
great  variety  of  the  richest 
flowers,  plants,  herbs,  and 
fruits."  "The  abundance  of 
its  produce  not  only  supplied 
its  own  millions,  but  furnished 
neighboring  kingdoms  with 
great  quantities  of  oil  and  oth- 
er commodities."  Pulse  of 
all  sorts,  fruits  of  all  kinds, 
which  might  be  called  perpet- 
ual, new  buds  appearing  be- 
fore the  old  fruit  was  ripe,  ci- 
trons, apples  of  Paradise,  vines, 
which  yielded  grapes  three 
times  in  a  year,  dates,  melons, 


PRO 


ar  canes,  cotton,  balsam, 
and  other  drugs,"  load  their 
fields. 

Vegetables  are  in  equal 
abundance  as  the  coulcas,  not 
unlike  the  potatoe,  the  okoe,  a 
rich  mucilaginous  vegetable, 
which  gives  a  beautiful  flavor 
to  their  soups,  also  excellent 
cabbages,  cauliflowers,  spinage, 
lettuce,  endive,  turnips,  cu- 
cumbers, radishes,  and  onions, 
extremelv  mild.  So  mild,  and 
pleasant  is  the  climate,  that  it 
may  support  many  more  in- 
habitants than  a  cold  country 
of  the  same  extent.  "Though 
it  seldom  rains,  abundant 
dews  secure  a  luxuriant  crop, 
and  the  cold  is  never  severe, 
while  the  heats  of  summer  are 
constantly  moderated  by  cool- 
ing breezes.  Russel  says, 
"They  are  so  free  from  frost, 
that  they  may  plough  all  win- 
ter," and  "that  the  most  deli- 
cate at  Aleppo  need  no  fire 
till  November."  De  Herbelot 
says  "that  February  puts  an 
end  to  fire  for  the  use  of 
warming*  themselves."  Dr. 
Chandler,  and  his  company  in 
their  travels  here  in  October, 
slept  in  the  open  air,  the  shep- 
herds did  the  same.  We  learn 
from  Shaw  and  Chardin,  that 
their  cattle  have  no  shelter; 
neither  does  the  farmer  mow 
in  summer  to  preserve  the 
flocks  in  winter.     It  is  custom- 


ary to  sleep  all  night  on  the 
roofs  of  their  houses.  The 
history  of  the  crusades  proves 
the  mildness  of  the  climate. 
In  those  wars,  sieges,  marches, 
and  battles  proceeded  in  every 
month  of  the  year,  without  re- 
gard to  the  heat  of  summer  or 
cold  of  winter. 

The  multitude  offish,  which 
inhabit  the  waters  of  Palestine, 
is  another  circumstance,  favor- 
able to  the  population  of  this 
country.  Doubdan  says,  "that 
the  Mediterranean  between  Si- 
don  and  Joppa  abounds  with 
fish."  Thevenot  informs  us 
that,  "Large  fish  are  caught  in 
the  Tigris.  Irwin  relates,  that  in 
the  JRed  Sea  are  fish  in  abund- 
ance. The  pleasant  waters  of 
their  lake,  or  the  sea  of  Tiberias 
abound  with  a  variety  of  fish 
ol  exquisite  taste  and  shape." 
Speaking  of  thib  lake,  LeBruyn 
says,  "On  what  side  soever  I 
cast  my  eye  upon  the  shore,  I 
saw  a  fish  swim."  Josephus 
says,  it  had  in  it  a  great  variety 
of  fish,  which  for  taste  and 
shape  were  not  to  be  found  any- 
where else."  Thus  scripture, 
and  authentic  history  coincide, 
and  the  objections  of  infidels 
vanish.  If  it  now  be  inquired 
why  the  people  ate  so  poor, 
while  the  lands  and  waters  are 
so  rich,  we  conceive  a  satis- 
factory answer  is  not  difficult. 
No  man  has  spirit  to  toil  and 


PRO 


PRO 


■sow,  when  it  is  quite  uncertain 
who  shall  reap  the  harvest. 
Dr  Adam  says,  that  the  inhab- 
itants have  no  property  real  or 
personal.  When  a  father  dies, 
the  estate  goes  to  the  sultan. 
He  arrogates  a  right  to  all  the 
lands.  A  travell'  r  asserts,  he 
had  often  seen  the  husband- 
man sowing,  accompanied  by 
an  armed  friend  to  prevent  his 
being  robbed  of  his  seed.  An- 
other says,  he  had  seen  the  A- 
rabs  appeased  by  handfuls  of 
wheat  given  them  in  harvest. 
The  arm  of  government  is 
strong  enough  "to  oppress  and 
crush"  the  wretched  subject, 
but  has  not  power  to  protect 
him  from  rapine  and  violence. 
Therefore,  it  is  as  different 
Writers  inform  us,  "that  large 
tracts  of  the  country  are  uncul- 
tivated." The  tyranny  of  the 
Turkish  government  has  re- 
duced  many  parts  of  it  to  a 
mere  waste  wilderness.  One 
instance  of  oppression  may  give 
an  idea  of  the  rest.  In  the  sea 
of  Galilee,  where  formerly  ma- 
ny people  obtained  support, 
where  many  ships  were  con- 
stantly loaded  wnh  excellent 
fish,  now  not  a  single  boat 
leaves  the  shore,  not  a  Solitary 
hook  is  cast  into  the  water,  so 
heavily  is  the  fishery  taxed  by 
the  Turkish  government.  If 
the  avaricious  Pacha  finds  no 
plausible  pretext  for  confiscat- 


ing the  property  of  a  prosper- 
ous man,  he  requires  him  to 
contribute  a  sum  beyond  his 
power;  when  he  fails  of  pro- 
ducing the  sum,  his  own  life 
and  the  lives  of  his  relatives, 
are  often  the  forfeiture.  These 
things  being  facts,  is  any  man 
of  reflection  surprised  that  we 
now  look  in  vain  for  the  an- 
cient splendor  and  population 
of  this  country?  D  <es  not  all 
appear  natural,  and  satisfactory 
to  the  eye  not  made  dim  by 
infidelity  ?  Under  so  many  em- 
barrassments would  it  be  strange 
should  famine  and  desolation 
follow?  should  the  despot  who 
oppresses,  and  the  robber  stain- 
ed with  blood,  both  be  left  to 
starve  together?  Instead  of  this, 
so  excellent  are  the  soil  and 
climate,  that  the  inhabitants  are 
generou^y  supported;  wheat, 
barley,  puise  of  all  kinds,  fruits, 
wine,  and  oil,  are  produced  in 
such  quantities,  that  they  are 
distributed  in  the  neighboring 
prov  inces  of  Syria,  Among  its 
productions  are  also  silk,  to- 
bacco, drugs,  and  aromatic 
herfjs.  WheVj  barley,  pulse, 
and  othei  j  aluable  .commodi- 
ties are  Transported  to  the  i  ul- 
tivated  shores  of  Europe.  A 
person,  who  w  is  there  in  1801, 
relates,  that  the  most  remarka- 
ble thing  in  the  country  is  the 
cheapness  of  provisions,  wine 
being  two  pence  per  bottle,  and 


PIK) 


PRO 


%s  three  half  pence  per  pound; 
cheese  is  very  plenty:  that  it 
may  with  propriety  be  styled 
"the  Land  of  Promise,"  "a 
land  flowing  with  milk  and 
honey."  Every  thing  is  in 
great  abundance;  the  country 
wants  for  nothing.  When  the 
Jews  shall  return  to  this  de- 
lightful land  of  springs  and 
brooks,  of  hills,  plains,  and 
luxuriant  vales;  when  this  ac- 
tive people  shall  once  more  in- 
habit 'this  enchanting  spot, 
where  the  Prince  of  peace  ac- 
complished the  work  of  re- 
demption; when  a  just  and  en- 
ergetic government*  and  the 
mild  spirit  of  Christianity  shall 
be  restored,  probably  more  than 
8,000,000  souls  will  again  en- 
joy this  happy  clime,  rebuild 
her  cities  and  palaces,  throng 
her  temples,  and  swell  her 
songs  of  praise. 

The  next  remarkable  divi- 
sion was  made  by  king  Solo- 
mon, who  divided  his  king- 
dom, into  12  provinces  or  dis- 
tricts, each  under  a  peculiar  of- 
ficer, and  every  one  of  these 
was  to  supply  the  king  with 
provisions  for  his  household  in 
his  turn,  that  is,  each  for  one 
month  in  a  year,  1  Kings  iv,  7, 
he. 

Under  the  second  temple,  the 

distinction  of  Israel  and  Judah 

lasted  a  considerable  time,  and 

the  same  bloody  hatred,   and 

48 


hostilities   continued    between 
these  two  kingdoms;  that    of 
Israel  taking  the  name  of  Sa* 
maria  from  its  capital.      The 
inhabitants  were  a  mixture  of 
the  old  Israelites,  and  of  new 
colonies  sent  there  by  the  kings 
of  Assyria,  after  their  conquest 
of  it,  till  they  were    subdued 
by  the  Maccabees,    and  their 
metropolis  destroyed.Under  the 
Romans  it  began  to  be  divided 
into  tetrarchies  and  toparchies. 
The  larger  were  those  of  Judea, 
Samaria,  and   Galilee,   Upper 
and  Lower;  the  less,  those  of 
Geraritica,  Sarona,  and  others 
of  less  note;  all  which  lay  on 
this  side  Jordan.     The  rest  on 
the  other  side,  were  those  of 
Gilead,Peraea,  Gaulonitis,  Au- 
ranitis,  Batanea,  and  Decapolis. 
Josephus  mentions  another  di- 
vision made  in  Gabinius's  time, 
into  5    districts,    as    he  styles 
them  Counsels,  agreeable  to  the 
Roman  manner;  these  were  Je- 
rusalem, Jericho,  and  Sephoris, 
on  this  side  Jordan;  and  Gada- 
ris,  and  Amathus  on  the  other 
side.      In   the   reigns   of   the 
Christian  emperors,  it  was  di- 
vided afresh  into  Palestina  Pri- 
ma,   Palestina    Secunc'a,   and 
Palestina  Tenia,    or  Sal  atari s; 
which  last  included  a  far  great- 
er part,  if  not  the  whole  coun- 
try, as  is  known  to  all  who  are 
acquainted   with  history.     On 
that  account   we    shall  wave 


PRO 


PUN 


all  other  divisions,  and  changes 
that  happened  to  it  under 
northern  barbarians,  Sara- 
cens, &c.  and  conclude  this  ar- 
ticle with  the  present  state  and 
division  of  it  under  the  Tuiks. 
The  whole  country  of  Pales- 
tine is  now  reduced  to  a  dis- 
trict or  province,  under  the 
beglerbegate,  or  bassaship  of 
Scham  or  Damascus,  who  hath 
the  seven  following  sangiaces, 
or  subgovernors  under  him, 
styled,  according  to  the  differ- 
ent places  of  their  residence. 
1.  The  sangiac  of  Damascus, 
who  is  under  the  bashaw  of  that 
province:  2.  Of  Jerusalem,  or 
as  the  Turks  call  it,  Cudjem- 
baric,  or  Coudscherif:  3.  Ag- 
hem:  4.  Bahana:  5.  Scifat:  6. 
Gaza:  7.  Nabolos.  Each  of 
these  have  a  number  of  zia- 
mets,  and  each  ziamet,  a  num- 
ber of  tirrariots  under  them; 
for  the  better  understanding  of 
which  terms  we  shall  refer  our 
readers  to  Sir  Paul  Ricaut's 
account  of  the  Ottoman  empire. 
At  present  it  will  be  sufficient 
to  say  of  these  inferior  subdi- 
visions, under  the  sangiac  of 
this  district,  or  sangiacate  of 
Jerusalem,  that  it  hath  nine  of 
the  former,  and  sixteen  of  the 
latter  class.  Neither  must  the 
reader  imagine  those  sangia- 
cates  or  sub-governments  to  be 
any  thing  considerable,  or  the 
residence  of  these  officers  to  be 
places  of  any  note  or  opulence. 


The  former  indeed  live  by  op- 
pressing the  people  under  them, 
and  extorting  contributions  of 
every  thing  that  comes  within 
their  reach,  such  as  the  protec- 
tion of  travellers,  merchants, 
and  caravans;  but  being  all  un- 
der their  respective  bashaws, 
who  are  still  more  griping,  than 
their  underlings,  they  are  com- 
monly fleeced  of  a  great  part  of 
their  unjust  gains. 

PUL,  Isa.  lxvi,  19.  This 
is  the  name  of  an  island  in  the 
Nile,  not  far  from  Syene.  Here 
are  the  ruins  of  noble  temples, 
erected  by  the  ancient  Egyp- 
tians. That  the  ancient  people 
in  scripture  called  Pul  might 
give  name  to  this  island  is  not 
impossible,  or  it  may  more 
probably  show,  that  this  peo- 
ple were  once  inhabitants  of 
this  region. 

PUNON,  or  Phunon,  a 
station  of  the  Hebrews  in  the 
wilderness,  Num.  xxxiii,  42,43. 
It  is  also  called  Piiaeno,  Phaino, 
and  Metallo-phaenon,  because 
of  the  mines  of  metals  there 
found.  Eusebius  says,  that 
this  place  was  situate  between 
Petra  and  Segar;  and  else- 
where he  places  it  four  miles 
from  Dedan.  He  says  also  that 
mines  were  dug  by  convicts, 
who  were  punished  in  this  way. 
St.  Athanasius  says,  that  these 
mines  of  Phanos  were  so  dan- 
gerous, that  murderers  con- 
demned to  work  there,  could 


PUZ 


QUA 


live  but  a  few  days.  We  find 
bishops  of  Phenos  in  the  sub- 
scriptions of  the  councils.  It 
is  thought  to  be  at  Punon,  that 
Moses  erected  the  brazen  ser- 
pent, for  the  cure  of  the  mur- 
muring Israelites, who  had  been 
bit  by  the  fiery  serpents.  Oth- 
ers believe  that  this  happened 
at  the  encampment  of  Zalmo- 
nah. 

PUZZUOLI,  or  Puteoli, 
an  ancient  celebrated  city  of 
Naples,  on  the  beautiful  bay  of 
Baia.  Earthquakes  and  volca- 
noes have  nearly  destroyed  its 
former  splendor.  Vast  ruins 
are  yet  visible,  among  which 
are  the  baths  of  Nero,  and  Cal- 
igula's bridge,  built  of  boats, 
three  miles  long,  across  the  bay 
of  Baia,  over  which  this  mon- 
ster passed  in  triumph  for  three 
successive  days,  in  imitation 
of  the  naval  triumph  of  Xerxes. 
The  water  of  the  springs,  call- 
ed the  baths  of  Nero,  are  of 
sufficient  heat  to  boil  esrsrs. 
i  hese  springs  are  18  miles 
from  Vesuvius,  and  the  city  of 
Naples  intervenes.  What  must 
be  the  danger  of  a  country  un- 
dermined as  this  is,  with  inces- 
sant and  violent  fires?  In  this 
city  is  a  temple  of  Jupiter  Se- 
rapis,  an  interesting  monument 
of  antiquity,  being  quite  differ- 
ent from  the  Roman  and  Greek 
temples,  and  built  in  the  man- 
ner of  the  Asiatics;  probably 


by  Egyptians  and  Asiatic  mer- 
chants, settled  at  Puzzuoli, 
which  was  the  great  emporium 
of  Italy,  till  the  Romans  built 
Ostia  and  Antium.  The  ruins 
of  Cicero's  villa,  near  this  place, 
are  of  such  extent,  as  to  give 
an  high  idea  of  the  wealth  of 
this  great  orator:  6  miles  west 
of  Naples.  Here  St.  Paul 
stayed  a  whole  week  on  his 
journey,  as  he  was  going 
prisoner  to  Rome,  Actsxxviii, 
13.  Several  bishops  of  this 
place  were  members  of  the  aiv 
cient  councils.     Lat.  40,  55. 

QUARANTANIA,  this 
name  is  not  in  the  Bible,  but 
a  mountain  is  mentioned  to 
which  it  is  supposed  by  some, 
that  this  name  is  now  applied. 
Different  opinions  have  been 
entertained  respecting  the 
mountain  where  our  Lord  was 
tempted,  by  an  offer  of  all  the 
kingdoms  of  the  world.  Tabor 
has  been  supposed  the  place;  it 
is  very  high;  and  from  its  sum- 
mit is  an  immensely  extended 
prospect, but  considering  all  the 
circumstances,  it  is  now  proba- 
bly some  mountain  nearer  to 
Jerusalem.  Sanson  does  not 
hesitate  to  say,  this  is  the  moun- 
tain to  which  Christ  was  led. 
Mr.  Maundrel  informs  us,  that 
in  his  journey  from  Jerusalem 
to  Jordan,  after  he  had  passed 
over  mount  Olivet,  he  proceed- 
ed in  an  intricate  way  among 


QUA 


RAA 


hills  and  vallies  interchangeably, 
and  after  some  hours  travel  in 
this  sort  of  road,  he  arrived  at 
the  mountainous  desert  into 
which  our  blessed  Savior  was 
led  to  be  tempted.  A  most 
miserable,  dry,  barren  place, 
saith  he,  it  is,  consisting  of 
rocky  mountains,  so  torn  and 
disordered,  as  if  the  eardi  had 
here  suffered  some  great  convul- 
sion, in  which  its  very  bowels 
had  been  turned  outward.  On 
the  left  hand,  looking  down  in 
a  steep  valley,  as  we  passed  a- 
long,  we  saw  ruins  of  small 
cells  and  cottages;  which  they 
told  us  were  former  habitations 
of  hermits,  who  retired  thither 
for  penance  and  mortification. 
And  certainly  there  could  not 
be  found  in  the  whole  earth  a 
more  comfortless  and  abandon- 
ed place  for  that  purpose. 
From  the  top  of  these  hills  of 
desolation,  we  had  however  a 
delightful  prospect  of  the  moun- 
tains of  Arabia,  the  Dead  Sea, 
and  the  plain  of  Jericho;  into 
which  last  we  descended  after 
about  five  hours  march  from 
Jerusalem.  As  soon  "as  we  en- 
tered the  plain,  we  turned  on 
the  left  hand,  and  going  about 
one  hour  that  way,  came  to  the 
foot  of  the  Quarantania,  which 
they  say,  is  the  mountain,  into 
which  the  devil  took  our  bles- 
sed Savior,  when  he  tempted 
him  with  that  visionary  scene, 


of  all  the  kingdoms  and  gloried 
of  the  world.  It  is,  as  St.  Mat- 
thew styles  it,  an  exceeding 
high  mountain,  and  its  ascent, 
not  only  difficult  but  danger- 
ous. It  has  a  small  chapel  at 
the  top,  and  another  about  half 
way  up,  founded  on  a  promin- 
ent part  of  the  rock.  Near 
this  latter  are  several  caves  and 
holes  in  the  side  of  the  moun- 
tain, inhabited  anciently  by  her- 
mits, and  by  some  at  this  day, 
for  places  in  which  to  keep  their 
Lent,  in  imitation  of  our  bles- 
sed Savior.  In  most  of  these 
grotts  we  found  certain  Arabs 
quartered,  with  fire  arms,  who 
obstructed  our  ascent,  demand- 
ing 200  dollars  for  leave  to  go 
up  the  mountains:  so  we  depart- 
ed without  farther  trouble,  not 
a  little  glad,  of  so  good  an  ex- 
cuse, for  not  climbing  up  so 
dangerous  a  precipice. 

R  A  AM  AH,  whether  this 
place  was  in  Lybia,  or  Arabia 
Felix  is  uncertain.  It  was  u 
place  of  commerce, and  the  peo- 
ple traded  at  Tyre.  Michaelis 
and  others  suppose  it  was  in 
Arabia,  which  is  most  proba- 
ble. 

RAAMSES,  or  Ram  esses, 
a  city  built  by  the  Hebrews, 
during  the  time  of  their  servi- 
tude in  Egypt,  Exod.  i,  11, 
and  which  probably  took  its 
name  from  the  king  of  the  coun- 
try, who  set  them  to  work.  Its 


RAB 


RAB 


situation  is  not  known.  Hero- 
dotus speaks  of  Papremisus 
in  the  Lower  Egypt,  and  Piiny 
joins  together  the  Ramisians 
and  Patamians,  which  are  pro- 
bably the  people,  that  inhabited 
the  two  cities  of  Pithom  and 
Raamses.  He  joins  theni  to 
the  Arabians  bordering  upon 
Egypt.     See  Ramesses. 

RABBAH,  or  Arebba,'  a 
city  mentioned  by  Joshua,  xv, 
60.  Perhaps  it  is  the  same 
with  Arbea,  or  Hebron.  St. 
Jerome  speaks  of  a  city  called 
Rebbo,  bordering  upon  Eleu- 
theropolis  towards  the  east. 

Rabbah,  or  Rabbath,  or 
Rabbat-Ammon,  or  Rabbath 
of  the  children  of  Amnion,  af- 
terwards called  Philadelphia, 
the  capital  city  of  the  Ammon- 
ites, situated  bevond  Jordan. 
It  was  famous  and  considerable, 
even  in  the  time  of  Moses,who 
tells  us,  that  then  was  still  to  be 
seen  there  the  iron  bedstead  of 
king  Og,  Deut.  iii,  11.  When 
David  declared  war  against  the 
Ammonites,  his  general,  Joab, 
laid  siege  to  Rabath- Amnion, 
where  the  brave  Uriah  lost  his 
life.  When  the  city  was  re- 
duced to  the  last  extremity, 
David  himself  went  thither, 
that  he  might  have  the  honor 
of  taking  it,  2  Sam.  xii,  28, 29. 
From  this  time  it  became  sub- 
ject to  the  kings  of  Judah.  Af- 
terwards the    kings   of  Israel 


became  masters  of  it,  with  aii 
the  rest  of  the  tribes  beyond 
Jordan. 

But  towards  the  conch: 
of  the  kingdom  of  Israel,  '1 
lath-Pileser  having  taken  away 
a  great  part  of  the  Israelites  of 
that  country,  the  Ammonites 
put  in  execution  many  cruel- 
ties against  those  that  remain- 
ed; and  from  whence  it  follow- 
ed, that  the  prophets  Jeremiah 
xlxi,  9,  i,  2,  3,  and  Ezek.  xx, 
20,  and  xxv,  5,  pronounced 
very  severe  prophecies  against 
Rabboth,  the  capital  city  of  the 
Ammonites,  and  against  the 
rest  of  the  country,  which  pro- 
bably had  their  completion  five 
years  after  the  destruction  of 
Jerusalem.  Antiochus,  the 
Great,  took  the  city  of  Rab- 
bath-Ammon,  about  the  year 
of  the  world  3786.  Some  time 
before  this,  Ptolemy  Philadel- 
phus  had  given  it  the  name  of 
Philadelphia.  It  is  thought  it. 
was  to  this  city  of  Philadel- 
phia, that  St.  Ignatius  the  mar- 
tyr wrote  his  epistle,  a  little  be- 
fore his  martyrdom.  Philadel- 
phia is  not  far  from  the  foun- 
tain of  Anion.  See  Philadel- 
phia.    Lat.  32,  20. 

RABBATH-MOAB,  or 
Rabath  of  the  children  of 
Moab,  the  capital  city  of  the 
Moabites,  called  otherwise  Ar, 
or  Areopolis.  See  Ar.  This 
city    has  gone  through  a  gren+ 


RAG 


RAG 


variety  of  revolutions,  and  the 
prophets  have  often  threatened 
it  with  great  misfortunes.  The 
kings  of  Judah,  Israel,  and  E- 
dom,  once  laving  siege  to  it,  2 
Kings  iii,  v,  6,  7,  &c.  when 
the  king  of  Moab  saw  he  mast 
fall  into  the  enemies  hands,  he 
took  his  eldest  son,  and  sacri- 
ficed him  to  the  gods  upon 
the  walls  of  the  ci'y.  This 
excited  such  an  abhorrence 
or  compassion  in  the  kings 
without  the  city,  that  they  drew 
off,  and  broke  up  the  siege. 
See  Tophet. 

RABBiTH  or  Rabboth,  a 
Gity  of  the  tribe  of  Issachar, 
Josh,  xix,  20. 

RACHAL,  a  city  of  the 
tribe  of  Judah,  1  Sam.  xxx,  29; 
whither  David  sent  some  of 
the  prey,  which  he  had  taken 
from  the  enemies,  who  had 
plundered  Ziklag. 

R  A  G  A  U,  a  large  plain 
where  Nebuchadnezzar  over- 
came Arphaxad,  king  of  the 
Medes,  in  the  country  of  Ari- 
och,  king  of  the  Elymeans, 
Judith  i,  5,  6.  The  plains  of 
Ragau,  are  probably  those  that 
lie  about  Rages  in  Media. 
Lat  31.     See  Rages. 

Rages,  a  city  of  Media, 
standing  upon  the  mountains 
of  Ecbatana,  about  a  days 
journey  from  that  town.  To- 
bit  having  deposited  the  sum 
often  talents,  Gabael,  a  citizen 


of  Rages,  sent  his  son  Tobias 
to  fetch  it,  Tob  i.  But  Tobias 
staying  at  Ecbatana  to  celebrate 
his  marriage  with  Sara,  the 
daughter  Raguel,  he  deputed 
the  angel  Raphael,  to  go  to 
Gabael,  and  bring  him  the 
money,  which  commisssion 
Raguel  performed.  It  is  sup- 
posed that  this  city  was  found- 
ed by  Reuy  a  son  of  Peleg. 
The  seventy  call  it  Ragau. 
This  city,  according  to  Bro- 
cardus  Monachus,  was  after- 
wards called  Edessa.  See 
Helbon.  A  learned  writer  says, 
there  is  no  doubt,  but  this  is 
the  modern  Rey  of  which  in- 
credible stories  are  told  by  the 
Persian  writers.  They  say 
that  in  the  ninth  century,  "it  was 
so  large  as  to  be  divided  into 
ninety-six  districts,  each  con- 
taining forty-six  streets;  that  it 
had  six  thousand,  four  hun- 
dred colleges,  and  fifteen  thous- 
and mosques,  and  other  edifices 
in  proportion.  It  is  now  great- 
ly reduced.  The  air  is  un- 
healthy, tinges  the  complex- 
ion yellow,  and  occasions  agues. 
Yet  the  inhabitants  live  as 
long  as  those  in  other  places, 
which  made  the  Persians  say 
that  "the  angel  of  death  him- 
self flees  from  the  unwhole- 
some vapors  of  Rey."  Among 
its  titles  is,  the  market  of  the 
universe.  No  wonder  then, 
that    Jews   were    found  here. 


RAM 


HAM 


The  people  being  commercial, 
are  polite  and  humane.  They 
manufacture  line  linen,  cotton, 
and  eumelots,  which  are  sent 
to  all  parts  of  the  world.  Lat. 
'36  35. 

RAHAB,  that  part  of  Low- 
er Egypt,  called  the  Delta, 
Psalm  lxxxvii,  4;  and  lxxxix, 
11;  and  Isaiah  xxx,  7. 

RAKKATH,  a  fenced  city 
belonging  to  the  tribe  of  Naph- 
tali,  Josh,  xix,  35.  It  proba- 
bly stood  on  the  sea  of  Galilee 
or  the  Jordan,  as  its  name  is 
supposed  to  denote  "Bank- 
town." 

RAKKON,  a  city  of  the 
tribe  of  Dan,  Josh,  xix,  46. 

RAMAH,  or  Rama,  a  city 
of  Benjamin,  Josh,  xv,  23;  sit- 
uate between  Gaba  and  Bethel, 
Judg.  iv,  5;  towards  the  moun- 
tains of  Ephraim,  six  miles 
disrant  from  Jerusalem,  on  the 
road  to  Bethlehem,  to  the 
north.  St.  Jerome  places  it 
near  Gabo,  seven  miles  from 
Jerusalem:  it  was  still  in  beina: 
in  his  time,  and  was  then  only 
a  small  village.  This  city 
stood  on  the  road  that  went 
from  Samaria  to  Jerusalem,  1 
Kings  xv,  17;  2  Chron.  xvi, 
1;  whence  it  was  that'Basha, 
king  of  Israel  caused  it  to  be 
fortified,  that  there  might  be 
no  passage  out  of  the  land  of 
Judah  into  that  of  Israel.  Jo- 
sephus     calls     it    Ramathan. 


This  Ramah  is  also  thought  to 
be  the  city  of  Samuel,  1  Sam. 
i,  19;  and  ii,  11,  &c.  Here  he 
was  buried;  but  in  the  reign 
of  Arcadius  his  body  was  re- 
moved to  Constantinople, 
where  Jerome  informs  us,  it 
was  received  with  inexpressi- 
ble joy. 

It  is  also  very  probable,  that 
Jeremiah  speaks  of  this  Ra- 
mah, when  he  says,  Jer.  xlt 
1,  2,  3;  that  Nebuzaradan, 
having  found  him  among  the 
captives  at  Ramah,  set  him  at 
liberty,  and  permitted  him  to 
go  wherever  he  pleased.  And 
it  is  of  the  same  place,  that 
father  Calmet  explains  that 
other  prophecy  of  Jeremiah,  in 
which  the  Lord  comforts  Ra- 
chel, Jer.  xxxi,  15,  16,  17,  for 
taking  away  the  children  of 
Ephraim  and  Manasseh,  which 
had  been  carried  into  captivity. 

The  scripture  often  joins 
Ramah  with  Gaba,  Geba,  or 
Gibeah,  as  being  two  neigh- 
boring places:  so  Ezra  ii,  26: 
Neh.  vii,  30;  Isa.  x,  26;  Hosea 
v,  8.  We  see  also,  1  Sam. 
xxii,  6,  that  when  Saul  abode 
in  Gibeah,  and  sat  under  a 
tree  at  Ramah,  that  he  was  in- 
formed of  David's  having  been 
seen  in  the  forest  of  Haresh; 
but  in  this  place  Calmet  takes 
Ramah,  only  to  signify  the 
eminence  that  was  at  Gibeah. 
From  Mr.  Thevenot  we  learn 


RAM 


HAM 


that  the  present  inhabitants 
may  amount  to  three  thousand 
Christians  and  Turks.  The 
caravans  from  Cario  in  Egypt, 
to  Damascus,  to  Aleppo  and 
Constantinople  pass  through 
this  town.  Here  are  <two 
churches  and  a  convent.  The 
doors  of  the  houses  in  this 
town  are  very  low,  not  three 
feet  high,  to  prevent  the  fero- 
cious Arabs  from  riding  into 
their  houses.  To  such  a  bar- 
barous state  of  society,  Solo- 
mon refers,  Prov.  xvii,  19;  "he 
that  exalteth  his  gate  seeketh 
destruction,"  i.  e.  exposes 
himself  to  be  destroyed.  The 
Arabs  will  seldom  plunder  or 
do  injury  if  it  be  necessary  for 
them  to  dismount  from  their 
horses.  Pilgrims  commonly 
tarry  here,  while  on  their  way 
to  Jerusalem.  Lydda  is  three 
miles  distant.  At  Rama,  while 
on  a  journey  Rachel  died  and 
was  buried.  At  '  her  grave 
Jacob  set  up  a  monumental 
stone.  This  was  certainly 
standing  in  the  time  of  Moses. 
Mr.  Maundrel  speaks  of  this 
tomb,  as  yet  shown  to  travel- 
lers. This  may  be  the  true 
place  of  her  grave;  but  the 
grave  stone  of  Jacob  is  gone, 
and  a  tomb  erected  in  modern 
style.  Mr.  Mariti  says  the 
place  is  now  called  Ramla,  and 
has  three  convents  for  the  re- 
ception of  pilgrims;   here  are 


also  several  Turkish  mosques^ 
the  town  has  no  walls  and  be- 
longs to  the  pacha  of  Jerusalem. 
The  people  here,  says  Mariti, 
are  very  generally  afflicted  with 
a  disease  of  the  eyes.  Both 
young  and  old  are  visited  with 
blindness.  This  he  thinks 
rises  from  want  of  comfortable 
diet  and  clothing.  The  town 
stands  upon  an  eminence,  sur- 
rounded with  a  plain  extending 
several  miles,  which  is  fertile 
and  well  cultivated.  The 
town  is  built  with  stone,  and 
the  houses  have  domes  and 
terraces.  The  villages  of  the 
Arabs  in  this  region  are  con- 
structed with  stone  and  mud, 
in  a  round  form  like  a  bee  hive; 
they  have  one  small  hole 
where  they  enter,  which  ad- 
mits the  air,  and  lets  out  the 
smoke.  The  roof  is  of  bush- 
es or  grass  covered  with  mud. 
As  lat%  as  1800,  Dr.  Witt- 
man,  who  was  here,  says,  the 
houses  of  Ramah  are  built  of 
stone,  and  are  provided  with 
domes  and  terraces.  The 
country  round  is  a  plain  of 
several  miles  in  extent,  ex- 
tremely fertile.  The  town  is 
situated  on  a  rising  ground, 
commanding  a  very  extensive 
view  of  the  open,  level  country, 
which  surrounds  it  on  all  sides. 
At  Ramla  we  saw  several  plan- 
tations of  Indian  corn,  with 
vineyards,  gardens,  and  fields 


RAM 


RAM 


of  cotton.  The  numerous 
olive  trees  without  the  town, 
and  the  date  trees  among  the 
buildings*  furnished  a  most 
agreeable  picture.  The  pave- 
ments of  the  streets  are  inter- 
mixed with  portions  of  mar- 
ble, and  the  houses  being  part- 
ly built  of  marble,  which  is 
here  of  a  yellow  cast,  have  a 
neat  appearance.  In  the  town 
are  many  ruins  of  churches 
and  other  buildings,  which 
sho\v  what  the  town  formerly 
was.  The  place  is  20  miles 
W.  by  N.  from  Jerusalem. 
The  Baron  de  Tott  says,  this 
part  of  the  Holy  Land,  is  cov- 
ered with  the  ruins  of  the  cru- 
sades.    Lat.  31,  52. 

RAMAH,  a  city  of  the  tribe 
of  Naphtali,  Josh,  xix,  36,  up- 
on the  frontiers  of  Asher, 
Josh,  xix,  29.  St.  Jerome 
reads  Horma  in  the  Hebrew, 
but  our  version,  the  Septua- 
gint,  and  Eusebius  read  Ra- 
man. The  same  E"sebius 
and  Cyrillus  of  Jerusalem,  up- 
on Zechariah,  own  there  was  a 
Ramah  in  the  tribe  of  Aiher, 
and  another  belonging  to  Naph- 
tali. 

There  are  some  other  cities 
of  this  name,  spoken  of  by  an- 
cient geographers;  but  these 
two  are  the  only  towns  of  this 
name  distinguished  in  scripture. 

RAMATHEM,  or  Rama- 

XJiAIM,Or  ARIMATHEA,acitV 

49 


on  the  road  from  Joppa  to  Je* 
rusalem,  which  belonged  to  the 
three  toparchies,  added  to  Ju- 
dea,  1  Mace,  xi,  34.  About 
three  miles  from  this  town,  are 
to  be  seen  the  ruins  of  the  an- 
cient Lydia.  It  was  in  this 
city  that  St.  Peter  cured  Eneas 
of  his  palsy,  Acts  ix,  33,  34. 
This  town  is  now  almost  ruin- 
ed says  M.  D'Arvieux.  There 
remain  but  a  few  houses,  with 
a  mosque  of  considerable  size, 
and  in  good  condition,  which 
is  highly  venerated  by  Turks 
and  Jews,  because  they  believe 
it  contains  the  tomb  of  Samuel 
the  prophet. 

RAMASES.    Whether  this 
be  a  city  or  territory  in  Egypt 
is  uncertain.     It  is  the   same, 
which  in  other  places  is  called 
the  land  of  Goshen.      The  Sep- 
tuagint  render  Goshen,   Hero- 
sempolis,  or  the  city.     Ancient 
geographers  place  this   region 
or  city  in  the  east  of  Egypt,  not 
far  from  the  Red  sea.     Others 
do  not  hesitate  to  consider  this 
a  city,  for  the  building  of  which 
the  Israelites  made  brick,  dur- 
ing their  slavery  in  Egypt,  and 
suppose,  it  stood  west  from  the 
north    point  of  the    Red    sea. 
Dr.  Shaw  supposes  that  Ram- 
ase's  stood    where    Cairo    has 
since    been    built,  Gen.   xlvii, 
11,  and  Exoci.  i,  11.     Jerome 
says  it   was  a  city  of  Egypt, 
built  by  the  Israelites.  Lat.  30, 


RAM 


RED 


RAMATHA,  a  city  of 
mount  Ephraim,  1  Sam.  i,  50, 
and  xv,  34.  Jerome  says  it 
was  situated  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Timnah,nearDiospolis. 

RAMOTH,  a  famous  city 
in  the  mountains  of  Gilead.  It 
is  often  called  Ramoth- Gilead; 
sometimes  only  Ramath;  and 
sometimes  Ramath-mispeh,  or 
the  watch  -tower,  Josh,  xiii,  26. 
Josephus  calls  it  Ramathan  or 
Aramatha,  This  city  belong- 
ed to  the  tribe  of  Gad,  Deut. 
iv,  43,  and  xx,  8.  It  was  as- 
signed for  an  habitation  to  the 
Levites,  and  was  one  of  the 
cities  of  refuge  beyond  Jordan, 
Josh,  xx,  8,  and  xxi,  37.  It 
became  famous  during  the 
reigns  of  the  latter  kings  of  Is- 
rael, and  was  the  occasion  of 
several  wars  between  these 
princes  and  the  kings  of  Da- 
mascus, who  had  made  a  con- 
quest of  it,  and  from  whom  the 
kings  of  Israel,  who  laid  claim 
to  it,  endeavored  to  regain  it, 
1  Kings,  xxii,  3, 4,  &c.  Joram 
king  of  Judah  was  dangerously 
wounded  at  the  siege  of  this 
place,  2  Kings,  viii,  28,  and  2 
Ch.  xxii,  5-  Jehu,  the  son  of 
Nimshi  was  here  anointed  king 
of  Israel,  by  a  prophet  sent  by 
Elisha,  2  Kings,  ix.  1,  2,  8cc. 
And  Ahab  king  of  Israel  was 
killed  in  the  battle,  that  he 
fought  with  the  Syrians  before 
this  place,  2  Ch.  xviii,  3,  4, 


5,  &.c.  Eusebius  says,  that 
Ramoth  was  fifteen  miles  from 
Philadelphia  towards  the  east. 
St.  Jerome  places  it  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Jabbok,  and 
consequently  tp  the  north  of 
Philadelphia. 

RAPHON,  a  city  beyond 
Jordan,  upon  a  brook  not  far 
from  Carnaim,  beyond  and  to 
the  north  of  the  brook  Jabbok, 
where  Judas  Maccabeus  lay  en? 
camped,  when  he  obtained  that 
final  victory  over  Timotheus, 
1  Mace,  v,  37,  38,  &c. 

Raphon,  a  city  of  Canaan 
in  the  region  of  Gilead,  north 
from  the  brook  Jabbok.  Here 
Judas  Maccabeus  had  encamp- 
ed before  he  obtained  victory 
over  Timotheus,  1  Mace,  v,  37. 

RAMOTH  NEGEBH,  a 
city  of  Simeon,  Joshua  xix,  8» 

RAPHON,  a  place  east  of 
the  brook  Jabbok,  1  Mace.  v. 

The  RED  SEA,  called  by 
the  ancients  Sinus  Arabicus,  and 
now  gulfode  Mecca,  is  that  part, 
or  branch,  of  the  southern  sea, 
which  interposes  itself  between 
Egypt  on  the  west,  Arabia  Fe- 
lix, and  some  part  of  Arabia 
Petrea,  on  the  east,  while  the 
northern  bounds  of  it  touch 
upon  Idumea,  or  ihe  coast  of 
Edom.  Edom  in  the  Hebrew 
tongue  signifies  red,  and  was 
the  nickname  jnven  Esau  for 
selling  his  birthright,  for  a 
mess  of  pottage.     This  coun- 


RED 


RED 


try,  which  his  posterity  posses- 
sed, was  called  after  his  name, 
and  so  was  the  sea  adjoined  to 
it.  The  Hebrews  call  it  the 
sea  of  sup/i,  or  flags,  by  reason 
of  the  great  abundance  of  that 
kind  of  weed,  w  lich  grows  at 
the  bottom  of  it;  and  the  Arabs 
at  this  day,  name  it  Buhr-el 
Chohemi,  i.  e.  the  sea  of  Cly- 
son  i,  from  a^t own  situated  on 
its  western  coast,  much  about 
the  place  where  the  Israelites 
passed  over  from  the  Egyptian, 
to  the  Arabian  shore;  but  as 
the  word  Clysoma  may  denote 
a  drowning  or  overflowing  with 
water,  it  is  not  improbable  that 
the  town,  built  in  this  place,  as 
well  as  this  part  of  the  sea, 
might  have  such  a  name  given 
it  in  memory  of  the  Egyp- 
tians, who  were  drowned  here. 
Wells'  Geog. 
Clysma  in  Greek,  and  Kolso- 
rem  in  Arabic,  may  signify  des- 
truction, a  very  expressive  name 
for  a  town,  built  near  where  so 
many  Egyptians  had  been  des- 
troyed. Josephus  says,  there 
were  50,000  horse,  and  200,000 
foot  drowned  in  their  pursuit  of 
Israel.  The  passage  of  the  Is- 
raelites through  the  Red  Sea, 
is  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
events  in  the  whole  Jewish  his- 
tory; the  Lord  having  opened 
this  sea,  and  dried  it  up,  so  that 
no  less  than  six  hundred  thou- 
sand effective  men.  beside  wo- 


men and  children,  and  aged 
men,  passed  it  over  dry  shod. 
The  Rabbins  and  many  of  the 
fathers,  from  the  following 
words  in  Psalm  cxxxvi,  13, 
"To  him,  who  divided  the  Red 
Sea  into  parts,"  have  maintain- 
ed, that  God  divided  this  sea 
into  twelve  passages,  so  that 
each  of  the  twelve  tribes  march- 
ed through  a  different  passage. 
Other  authors  have  advanced, 
that  Moses,  having  lived  a  long 
time  near  the  Red  Sea?  in  the 
country  of  Midian,  had  observ- 
ed, that  it  kept  its  regular  eb- 
bing and  flowing,  like  the  ocean; 
so  that  taking  the  advantage  of 
the  time  of  ebb,  he  led  the  He- 
brews over:  but  the  Egyptians, 
not  knowing  the  nature  of  the 
sea,  and  rashly  entering  it,  just 
before  the  return  of  the  tide, 
were  all  swallowed  up  and 
drowned,  as  Moses  relates.  It 
was  thus,  that  the  priests  of 
Memphis  explained  it,  accord- 
ing to  the  report  of  Artapanus, 
which  opinion  has  been  adopt- 
ed by  ,some  moderns. 

Some  of  the  ancients  thought 
that  the  Israelites  did  not  pass 
througfiihc  Red  Sea, from  shore 
to  shore,  but  only  coasted  it, 
and  during  the  time  of  the  flux 
ascended  a  little  from  the  place 
they  were  in,  towards  the  shore 
upon  the  higher  ground;  so 
that  they  made  a  kind  of  semi- 
circle in  the  sea.     This  opm* 


iifiD 


I1ED 


ion  is  also  espoused  by  Thomas 
Aquinas,  Tostat,  Paul  de  Bur- 
gos, Grotius,  Genebrard,  Vata- 
blus,  and  someRabbins.  But  not 
to  enter  into  a  nice  discussion  of 
all  these  opinions,    not  to  un- 
dertake to  refute  them,  partic- 
ularly, and  not  to  deny  that  the 
Red  Sea  may  have  its  ebbing 
and  flowing*  we  need  only  al- 
lege the   text    of  Moses,    and 
other  sacred  authors,  who  have 
mentioned  this  miraculous  pas- 
sage:  we  may  see  plainly  that  no 
other  account  can  possibly  be 
supported,  but  that  which  sup- 
poses the     Hebrews   to    pass 
through  the  sea  from  shore  to 
shore,  in  a  vast  space  of  dry 
ground,  which  was  left  void  by 
the    waters  at   their     retiring, 
Exod.  xiv,  16,  17,  "Lift  thou 
up  thy  rod,  and  stretch  out  thine 
hand  over  the  sea,  and  divide  it; 
and  the  children  of  Israel  shall 
go  on  dry  ground  through  the 
midst  of  the    sea:   and  Moses 
stretched  out  his  hand  over  the 
sea;  and  the   Lord  caused  the 
sea    to  go    back  by    a   strong 
east  wind  all    that  night,    and 
made  the  sea  dry  land,  and  the 
waters  were  divided.    And  the 
waters  were  a  wall  unto  them, 
on  their  right  hand  and  on  their 
left.  When  the  Egyptians  like- 
wise were  entered  the  sea,  the 
Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Stretch 
out   thine  hand   over  the  sea, 
that  the  waters  may  come  a- 


gain  upon  the  Egyptians,  upon 
their  chariots  and  upon  their 
horsemen.  And  Moses  stretch- 
ed forth  his  hands  over  the  sea, 
and  the  sea  returned  to  his 
strength  when  the  morning 
appeared,  and  the  Egyptians 
fled  against  it;  and  the  Lord 
overthrew  the  Egyptians  in 
the  midst  of  the  sea.  But  the 
children  of  Israel^alked  in  the 
midst  of  the  sea,  upon  dry 
land,  and  the  waters  were  a 
wall  unto  them,  on  the  right 
hand,  and  on  the  left." 

And  in  the  canticle  that 
Moses  sung  at  their  coming 
out  of  the  Red  Sea  he  says, 
Exod.  xv,  8.  "With  the  blast 
of  thy  nostrils,  (or  with  the 
wind  of  thy  fury,)  "the  waters 
were  gathered  together;  the 
flood  stood  upright  as  an  heap, 
and  the  depths  were  congealed 
in  the  heart  of  the  sea."  And 
the  Psalmist  says,  Ps.  lxxxviii, 
13.  "He  divided  the  sea  and 
caused  them  to  pass  through, 
and  he  made  the  waters  to 
stand  as  an  a  heap."  He  says 
elsewhere,  that  the  sea  fled  at 
the  sight  of  God,  Ps.  civ,  3,  4. 
that  the  Lord  made  himself  a 
path  in  the  sea;  that  he  walk- 
ed in  the  midst  of  the  waters, 
Ps.  lxxxvii,  19;  Isa.  lxiii,  11, 
&c.  says  that  the  Lord  divided 
the  waves  before  his  people, 
that  he  conducted  them 
through    the  bottom    of    the 


RED 


REP 


abyss,  as  the  horse  is  led 
through  the  midst  of  a  field. 
Habakkuk,  iii,  15,  says,  that 
the  Lord  made  himself  a  road 
to  drive  his  chariot  and  horses 
across  the  sea,  across  the  mud 
of  great  waters.  Lastly  the 
author  of  the  book  of  Wisdom, 
xix,  7,  8;  see  also  Wisdom  x, 
17,  18,  says  that  the  dry  land 
appeared  all  on  a  sudden,  in  a 
place  where  water  was  before; 
that  a  free  passage  was  open- 
ed in  a  moment  through  the 
midst  of  the  Red  Sea,  and  that 
a  green  field  was  seen  in  the 
midst  of  the  abyss,  &c.  See 
the  commentators  upon  Exod. 
xiv.  M.  Le  Clerks  Disserta- 
tions upon  the  passage  over 
the  Red  Sea,  and  Calmefs 
Dissertation  upon  the  same 
subject.  It  is  thought  that  me 
place  where  the  Hebrews  pas- 
sed the  Red  Sea,  is  two  or 
three  leagues  below  the  north- 
ern point  at  the  place  called 
Kolfum,  or  Clysma,  where 
some  of  the  ancients  have  tes- 
tified, that  in  their  time  might 
still  be  seen  the  ruins  of  the 
wheels  of  Pharoah's  charioU, 
and  evident  marks  of  these 
chariots. 

On  account  of  the  miracu- 
lous passage  of  Israel  through 
this  sea,  it  has  been  famous  in 
all  ages,  especially  with  those 
nations  acquainted  with  the  his- 
torv  of  Moses;  but  others  have 


heard  the  fame  of  the  wonder- 
ful event.  The  words  of  Dio- 
dorus  are  to  this  effect,  "Among 
the  neighboring  Ichthyophagi, 
there  is  an  old  tradition,  de- 
livered down  from  their  ances- 
tors, that  formerly  the  sea  part- 
ing, and  the  waters  falling  back, 
some  on  one  side,  and  some  on 
the  other,  opposite  to  it,  the 
whole  gulf,  i.e.  as  to  its  breadth, 
was  dry,  and  the  bottom  of  it 
appeared  of  a  green  color;  but 
some  time  after  the  sea  return- 
ed again  to  its  usual  place."  It 
is  not  reasonably  to  be  doubted, 
but  this  tradition  refers  to  the 
miraculous  passage  of  the  Is- 
raelites through  the  sea.  We 
may  from  this  and  other  testi- 
monies observe  the  falsehood 
of  that  opinion,  which  will  have 
the  Red  Sea  to  be  named  from 
the  red  color  of  its  waters,  or 
of  the  sand  at  the  bottom.  This, 
in  a  degree  is  confirmed  by  a 
passage  in  the  wisdom  of  Solo- 
mon, chap,  xix,  7,  "Where 
water  stood  before,  dry  land 
appeared,  and  out  of  the  Red 
Sea,  a  way  without  impedi- 
ment, and  out  of  the  violent 
stream,  a  green  field."  Con- 
cerning the  name,  as  we  have 
already  seen,  several  opinions 
have  been  entertained.  The 
Hebrew  name  Jam-Suph  sig* 
nifies  weedy  sea,  and  several 
ancient  writers  mention  it  a 
place  producing  abundance  of 


RED 


RED 


weeds,  though  a  late  traveller 
as  I  shall  soon  show,  contra- 
dicts this.  This  sea  grows  nar- 
rower the  farther  north  it  ex- 
tends. Thevenot  says,  that  for 
four  or  five  days  he  kept  along 
its  coast,  going  to  mount  Sinai, 
and  that  no  where  did  he  ob- 
serve it  to  be  more  than  eight 
or  nine  miles  over.  The  water 
of  this  sea  lying  in  a  warm  cli- 
mate, and  receiving  but  a  few 
large  rivers,  is  remarkably  salt. 
After  passing  into  this  sea  from 
the  ocean,  a  ship  draws  seve- 
ral inches  less  water  than  be- 
fore. ( Modern  Geography.) 
As  no  river  falls  into  it  of  suf- 
ficient force  to  counteract  the 
tides,  it  is  more  affected  by 
their  motions,  than  other  in- 
land seas.  ,  The  winds  gener- 
ally blow  from  north  to  south, 
and  being  periodical,  like  the 
monsoons  of  India,  they  de- 
cide the  season  for  sailing  in- 
to or  out  of  this  sea.  Before 
I  quit  this  article,  I  will  quote 
a  few  sentences  from  a  learned 
modern  traveller.  At  the  place 
where  he  supposed  the  Israel- 
ites passed  through,  he  says 
the  sea  is  not  quite  twelve 
miles  broad;  they  might,  there- 
fore, easily  have  crossed  it  in 
one  night.  There  is,  saith  he, 
about  fourteen  fathom  of  wa- 
ter in  the  channel;  and  nine  at 
the  sides;  with  good  anchorage 
rvery  where;    on  the  farthest 


side  is  a  low 'sandy  coast,  and 
a  very  easy  landing  place,  It 
was  proposed  to  Mr.  Niebuhr, 
when  in  Egypt,  to  inquire  upon 
the  spot)  whether  there  were 
not  some  ridges  of  rocks  where 
the  water  was  shallow,  so  that 
an  army  at  particular  times 
might  pass  over.  Secondly, 
whether  the  Etesian  winds, 
which  blow  strongly  all  sum- 
mer from  the  north-west,  could 
not  blow  so  violently  against 
the  sea,  as  to  keep  it  back  on 
a  heap,  so  that  the  Israelites 
might  have  passed  without  a 
miracle.  Saith  Mr.  Bruce,  a 
copy  of  these  queries  was  left 
for  me,  to  join  my  inquiries 
likewise.  But,  I  confess,  how- 
ever learned  the  gentlemen  were 
who  proposed  these  doubts,  I 
did  not  think  they  merited 
any  attention  to  solve  them. 
If  the  Etesian  winds,  blowing 
from  the  north-west  in  summer 
could  keep  up  the  sea  as  a  wall 
on  the  right,  or  to  the  south, 
of  fifty  feet  high,  still  the  dif- 
ficulty would  remain  of  build- 
ing the  wall  on  the  left  hand, 
or  to  the  north.  Beside,  water 
standing  in  that  position  for  a 
day,  must  have  lost  the  nature 
of  a  fluid.  Whence  came  that 
cohesion  of  particles,  which 
hindered  that  wall  to  escape  at 
the  sides?  This  is  as  great  a 
miracle  as  that  of  Moses.  If 
the  Etesian  winds    had   done 


RED 


REII 


that  once,  they  must  have  re- 
peated it  many  a  time  before 
and  since,  from  the  same  cause. 

"Yet,"  saith  he,  referring  to 
the  passage  which  we  have 
quoted  in  this  article,  "Diodo- 
rus  says,  the  indigenous  inhab- 
itants of  that  very  spot  had  a 
tradition  from  father  to  son, 
from  their  very  earliest  and  re- 
motest ages,  that  once  this  di- 
vision of  the  sea  did  happen 
here.  The  words  of  this  au- 
thor are  of  the  most  remarka- 
ble kind.  We  cannot  think 
this  pagan  is  writing  in  favor 
of  revelation.  He  knew  not 
Moses,  nor  says  a  word  about 
Pharaoh  and  his  host,  yet  re- 
cords the  miracle  of  the  divis- 
ion of  the  sea  in  words  nearly 
as  strong  as  those  of  Moses, 
from  the  mouths  of  unbiassed 
and  undesigning  pagans." 

Mr.  Clogher,  in  his  journey 
to  mount  Sinai,  says,  "that 
from  the  fountains  of  Moses, 
which  are  seven  or  eight  hours 
journey,  southerly,  from  Suez, 
may  be  now  seen  the  aperture 
of  the  mountain  on  the  west- 
ern side  of  the  sea,  through 
which  Israel  passed  into  the 
water?  The  aperture  is  west 
south-west  from  the  fountains; 
the  breadth  of  the  sea  there  is 
about  four  or  five  hours  travel." 
Mr,  Pinkerton  says  that  the 
Red  Sea,  from  the  strait  of  Ba- 
belmandel  to  Suez  extends  a- 


bout  12  degrees,  or  1470  miles, 
it  is  in  general  about  120  broad, 
terminating  in  an  extensive 
western  branch,  while  the  east- 
ern ascends,  but  little  beyond 
the  parallel  of  mount  Sinai. 
The  tide  here  never  rises  more 
than  three  feet  and  six  inches. 
Between  lat.  22,  30  and  29. 

REH  >B,  a  city  of  the  tribe 
of  Asher,  in  the  north  part  of 
the  tribe,  given  for  a  dwelling 
to  the  Levites  of  the  family  of 
Gershom,  Josh,  xix,  23.  This 
city  was  in  Syria  upon  the 
road  of  Hamath,  Numb,  xiii, 
21,  &c.  and  probably  between 
Libanus  and  Acti-Libanus. 
The  city  of  Dan  or  Laish  was 
in  the  canton  of  Rehob.  From 
this  place  the  people  of  Asher 
could  not  drive  out  the  an- 
cient inhabitants,  Judg.  vii,  31. 
Lat.  33,  16. 

Rehob,  a  kingdom  in  the 
north-west  part  of  Canaan,  1 
Sam.  x,  6 — 8. 

REHOBOTH,  a  river  of 
Idumea.  Saul  a  descendant  of 
Esau,  who  reigned  in  Idumea, 
was  a  native  of  the  country 
bordering  upon  the  river  Re- 
hoboth.  "Lat.  33,  30. 

Rehoboth,  a  town  seated 
on  the  Tigris,  near  Nineveh, 
and  ne:ir  the  mouth  of  the 
river  Lycus. 

Rehoboth,  a  town  of 
Edom,  where  Saul  king  of  E- 
dom  was  born,  Gen.  xxxvi,37. 


REP 


REP 


Reboboth,  the  name  giv- 
en to  a  well,  which  was  dug  by- 
Isaac,  east  from  Gerar;  so  cal- 
led, because  that  the  Lord  there 
made  room  for  him,  Gen.  xxvi, 
22. 

REHUM.    See  Samaritans. 

REKEM,  a  city  of  Judea, 
of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin,  Josh, 
xviii,  27. 

REMETH,  a  city  of  the 
tribe  of  Issachar,  Josh,  xix, 
21;  and  the  same  with  Ra- 
moth,  1  Chron.  vi,  73. 

REMMON,  or  Rimmon, 
a  city  of  the  tribe  of  Simeon, 
Josh,  xix,  7;  and  probably  the 
same  that  is  ascribed  to  Judah, 
Neh.  xi,  29.  Eusebius  places 
it  to  the  south  of  Judah,  six- 
teen miles  from  Eleutheropo- 
lis  to  the  south. 

REMMON-METHOAR, 
a  city  bordering  upon  the 
tribe  of  Zebulon,  Josh,  xix, 
13;  to  the  east  of  that  tribe, 
Lat.  32,  44. 

REPHAIM,  the  name  of  a 
valley  near  to  Jerusalem,  Josh. 
xv,  8,  &c.  The  road  from 
Jerusalem  to  Bethlehem,  Mr. 
Maundrel  informs  us,  goes 
through  this  valley,  which  is 
famous  for  being  the  theatre  of 
many  victories  gained  by  king 
David  over  the  Philistines. 
Hence  it  has  been  supposed  to 
receive  its  name  from  the  Re- 
phaim  being  subdued  here,  or 
perhaps  more    probably  from 


some  of  the  Rephaim  living 
here  before  the  conquests  of 
Joshua. 

REPHAIMS,    the    ancient 
giants  of  Canaan.     There  were 
anciently   several   families    of 
them  in  this  country.  It  is  com- 
monly thought  that  they  were 
descended    from    one     called 
Rephah,  or  Bapha;    but  others 
imagine,  that  the  word  Repha- 
im properly  signifies  giant,  in 
the    ancient   language   of  this 
people.      There   were    of  the 
Rephaim,   beyond    Jordan,    at 
Ashteroth    Karnaim,     in    the 
time  of  Abraham,  when  Che- 
dorlaomer  made  war    against 
them,    Gen.    xiv,    5.      There 
were  also  some  of  them  in  this 
country  in  the  times  of  Moses. 
Og  king  of  Baashan,  was  one 
of  the  posterity  of  the  Repha- 
im, Josh,  xii,  4.      Also  in  the 
time  of  Joshua  there  were  some 
of  their  descendants  in  the  land 
of  Canaan,   Joshua   xvii,   15. 
Lastly  we  hear  of  them  still  in 
David's  time,  in   the    city  of 
Gath,  1   Chron.  xx,  4,  5,  6. 
The    giants    Goliah,    Sippai, 
Lahmi,  and  others,  were  some 
remains  of  the  Rephaim.  Their 
magnitude   and    strength    are 
known  from  scripture. 

The  valley  of  the  Rephaim,, 
or  giants,  was  a  famous  place 
in  Joshua's  lime,  Josh,  xv,  8, 
xviii,  16,  and  also  in  king  Da- 
vid's, 2  Sam.  v,  18,  22.     It  is 


REP 


REP 


mentioned,  likewise,  by  Isaiah, 
;\ii,  5.      The   Philistines  en- 
camped  there  more  than  once, 
1  Cliron.  xi,  10;    xiv,  9. 

It  is  also  called  in  the  Greek 
the  valley  of  the  Titans,  and  in 
our  translation  and  the  vulgate, 
the  valley  of  the  giants,  and 
sometimes  in  the  English  ver- 
sion, the  valley  of  Rephaim,  as 
in  the  two  last  places  quoted, 
and  in  2  Sam.  xxiii,  13.  Joshua 
places  ihe  valley  of  Rephaim 
as  one  of  the  limits  of  the  por- 
tion of  Judah.  It  was  very 
near  Jerusalem,  and  it  may  be 
doubted  whether  it  belonged 
to  Judah  or  to  Benjamin;  be- 
cause of  the  proximity  of  these 
two  tribes.  Eusebius  places 
it  in  Benjamin,  but  Josh,  xvii, 
16,  and  those  passages  of  the 
book  of  Samuel,  in  which  it  is 
mentioned  insinuate,  that  it  be- 
longed to  Judah,  and  was  to 
<hc  south  or  west  of  Jeiusalem. 

Though  in  the  scripture,  we 
are  told  of gza?its,\\  ho  were  pro- 
duced from  the  marriages  of 
the  so?is  of  Godw  ith  the  daugh- 
ters of  men,  yet  this  passage 
has  been  differently  interpre- 
ted, so  as  to  render  it  doubtful 
whether  the  word  translated 
giants,  does  there  imply  any 
extraordinary  stature.  In  other 
parts  of  scripture,  however,  gi- 
ants with  their  dimensions,  are 
mentioned  in  such  a  manner, 
as  we  cannot  possibly  doubt, 
50 


as  in  the  case  of  Og,  king  ot 
Baashan,  and  Goliath.  In  a 
memoir  read  before  the  acade- 
my of  sciences  at  Rouen,  M. 
Le  Cut  gives  the  following  ac- 
count of  giants,  that  are  said  to 
have  existed  in  different  ages. 
*'Profane  historians  have  giv- 
en seven  feet  of  height  to  Her- 
cules, their  first  hero,  and  in 
our  days  we  have  seen  men 
eight  feet  high.  The  giant, 
who  was  shown  in  Rouen  in 
173 5,  measured  eight  feet,  some 
inches.  The  emperor  Maxi- 
min  was  of  that  size;  Skenki- 
us  and  Platerus,  physicians  of 
the  17m  century  saw  several  of 
that  stature,  and  Goropius  saw 
a  girl,  who  was  ten  feet  high. 
The  body  of  Orestes,  accord- 
ing to  the  Greeks,  was  eleven 
feet  and  an  half,  the  giant  Gab- 
bara,  brought  from  Arabia  to 
Rome  under  Claudius  Caesar, 
was  near  ten  feet,  and  the  bones 
ol  Secondilla  and  Pusio,  keep- 
ers of  the  gardens  of  S  illust, 
were  but  six  inches  shorter. 
Funnam,  a  Scotsman,  who  liv- 
ed in  the  time  of  Eugene  II, 
king  of  Scotland,  measured 
eleven  feet  and  an  half,  and  Ja- 
cob Le  Maire  in  his  voyage  to 
the  straits  of  Magellan,  reports 
that  on  the  17th  of  September, 
1615,  they  found  at  port  De- 
sire several  graves  covered 
with  stones,  and  having  the  cu- 
riosity to  remove  the   stones, 


REP 


REP 


they  discovered  human  skele- 
tons often  and  eleven  feet  long. 
The  Chevalier  Scory,  in  his 
voyage  to  the  peak  of  Ten- 
eriffe,  says,  that  they  found  in 
one  of  the  sepulchres  or  cav- 
erns of  that  mountain,  the 
head  of  a  guanche,  which  had 
30  teeth,  and  that  the  body  was 
not  less  than  1 5  feet  long.  The 
giant  Ferragus,  slain  by  Orlan- 
do, nephew  of  Charlemagne, 
was  18  feet  high.  Rivland, 
a  celebrated  anatomist,  who 
wrote  in  1614,  says,  that  some 
years  before,  there  was  to  be 
seen  in  the  suburbs  of  St.  Ger- 
main the  tomb  of  the  giant  Is- 
soret,  who  was  20  feet  high. 
In  Rouen,  in  1509,  in  digging 
in  the  ditches  near  the  Domi- 
nicans, they  found  a  stone 
tomb,  containing  a  skeleton, 
whose  skull  held  a  bushel  of 
corn,  and  whose  shin  bone 
reached  up  to  the  girdle  of  the 
tallest  man  there,  being  about 
4  feet  long,  and  consequently 
the  body  must  have  been  17, 
or  18  feet  high.  Upon  the 
tomb  was  a  plate  of  copper  on 
which  was  engraved,  "In  this 
tomb  lies  the  noble  and  puis- 
sant Lord,  the  Chevalier  Ricon 
de  Vallemont,  and  his  bones." 
Platerus,  a  famous  physician, 
declares  that  he  saw  at  Lu- 
cerne, the  true  human  bones  of 
xl  subject,  which  must  have 
been   at   least    19   feet    high. 


Valence  in  Dauphine,  boasts 
of  possessing  the  bones  of  the 
giant  Bucart,  tyrant  of  the  Viv- 
arais,  who  was  slain  by  an  ar- 
row, by  the  count  de  Cabillon, 
his  vassal.  The  Dominicans 
had  a  part  of  the  shin  bone, 
with  the  articulation  of  the 
knee,  and  his  figure  painted  in 
fresco,  with  an  inscription, 
showing  that  this  giant  was 
22  feet  and  an  half  high,  and 
that  his  bones  were  found  in 
1705,  near  the  banks  of  the 
Morderi,  a  little  river  at  the 
foot  of  the  mountain  of  Crussol, 
upon  which  (tradition  says)  the 
giant  dwelt. 

January  11,  1613,  some  ma- 
sons digging  near  the  ruins  of 
a  castle  in  Dauphine  in  a  field, 
which  (by  tradition)  had  long 
been  called  the  giants  field,  at 
the  depth  of  18  feet  discovered 
a  brick  tomb,  30  feet  long,  12 
feet  wide,  and  8  feet  high,  on 
which  was  a  grey  stone  with 
the  words,  Theutobochus  llez^ 
cut  upon  it.  When  the  tomb 
was  opened,  they  found  a  hu- 
man skeleton  entire,  25  feet 
and  a  half  long,  ten  feet  wide 
across  the  shoulders,  and  five 
feet  deep  from  the  breast  bone 
to  the  back.  His  teeth  were 
about  the  size,  each  of  an  ox's 
foot,  and  his  shin  bone  meas- 
ured four  feet. 

Near  Mazarino,  in  Sicily,  in 
1516,  was  found  a  giant  30  feet 


REP 


REP 


high,  his  head  was  the  size  of 
-iii  hogshead,  and  each  of  his 
teeth  weighed  five  ounces. 
Near  Palermo,  in  the  valley  of 
Mazara,  in  Sicily,  a  skeleton  of 
a  giant  30  feet  long,  was  found 
in  the  year  1548,  and  another 
of  33  feet  high  in  1550,  and 
many  curious  persons  have  pre- 
served several  of  these  gigantic 
bones. 

The  Athenians  found  near 
their  city  two  famous  skeletons, 
one  of  34,  the  other  of  36  feet 
high. 

At  Totu,  in  Bohemia,  was 
found  a  skeleton,  the  head  of 
which  could  scarce  be  encom- 
passed, by  the  arms  of  two  men 
together,  and  whose  legs,  which 
they  still  keep  in  the  castle  of 
that  city,  were  26  feet  long. 
The  skull  of  the  giant  found  in 
Macedonia,  Sept.  1691,  held 
210  pounds  of  corn. 

The  celebrated  Sir  Hans 
Sloane,  who  treated  this  matter 
very  learnedly,  does  not  doubt 
these  facts,  but  thinks  the  bones 
were  those  of  elephants,  whales, 
or  other  enormous  animal1-:. 

Elephants  bones  may  be 
shown  for  those  of  giants;  but 
they  can  never  impose  on  con- 
noisseurs. Whales,  which  by 
their  immense  bulk,  are  more 
proper  to  be  substituted  for  the 
largest  giants,  have  neither 
arms  nor  legs,  and  the  head  of 
that  animal  hath  not  the  least 


resemblance  to  that  of  a  man. 

"If  it  be  true,  therefore,  that 
a  great  number  of  the  gigantic 
bones,  which  we  have  mention- 
ed have  been  seen  by  anato- 
mists, and  by  them  have  been 
reputed  real  human  bones,  the 
existence  of  giants  is  proved.'-' 

With  regard  to  the    credi- 
bility of  all,  or  any  of  these  ac- 
counts, it  is  difficult  to  deter- 
mine any  thing.     If  in  any  cas- 
tle in  Bohemia,  the  bones  of  a 
man's  leg  26  feet  in  length  is 
preserved,  we  indeed  have  de- 
cided proof  of  the  existence  of 
a  giant,  in  comparison  of  whom 
others  would  be  but  pigmies. 
Nor  indeed  could  these  bones 
be  supposed   to  belong  to  an 
elephant,  for  an  elephant  itself 
would  be  but  a  dwarf  in  com- 
parison of  such  an  enormous 
monster.     But  if  these  bones 
were  really  kept  in  any  part  of 
Bohemia,  it  seems  strange  that 
they  are  not  frequently  visited, 
and  particular  descriptions   of 
them  given  by  the  learned,  who 
have  travelled  in  that  country. 
It  is  certain  however,  that  there 
have  been  nations  of  men,  con- 
siderably exceeding  the  com- 
mon stature.  Thus  all  the  Ro- 
man historians  inform  us,  that 
the  Gauls   and  Germans   ex- 
ceeded the  Italians  in  size,  and 
it  appears  that  the  Italians  in 
those  days,  were  of  much  the 

me   b  -li'ire  with  the  people 


REP 


REP 


of  the  present  age.  Among 
these  northern  nations,  it  is  al- 
so probable  that  there  would 
be  as  great  differences  in  stat- 
ure, as  there  is  among  the 
present  race  of  men.  If  that 
can  be  allowed,  we  may  easily 
believe,  that  some  of  these 
barbarians  might  be  called  gi- 
ants, without  any  great  im- 
propriety.' Of  this  superiority 
of  size,  indeed  the  historian 
FJorus  gives  us  a  notable  in- 
stance in  Teu'.ichochus  above- 
mentioned,  king  of  the  Teu- 
tones,  who  being  defeated  and 
taken  prisoner  by  Marius,  was 
carried  in  triumph  before  him 
at  Rome,  when  his  head  reach- 
ed above  the  trophies  tlvt  were 
carried  in  the  same  procession. 
But  whether  these  accounts 
are  credited  or  not,  we  are  very 
certain  that  the  stature  of  the 
human  body  is  by  no  means 
absolutely  fixed;  we  are  our- 
selves a  kind  of  giants  com- 
pared with  the  Laplanders,  nor 
are  these  the  most  cfifninitive 
people  on  the  earth.  The.  abbe 
la  Chappe,  in  his  journey  into 
Siberia  in  order  to  observe  the 
last  transit  of  Venus,  passed 
through  a  village  in  habited  by 
people  called,  wotiacks;  neither 
men  nor  women  are  above  4 
feet  high.  The  accounts  of 
the  Patagonians  aiso,  which' 
cannot  be  entirely  discredited, 
render,  it  very   probable,  that 


somewhere  in  South  America, 
there  is  a  race  of  people  very 
considerably  exceeding  the 
common  size  of  mankind,  and 
consequently,  that  we  cannot 
altogether  discredit  the  rela- 
tions of  giants  handed  d^wn  to 
us  by  ancient  authors;  though 
what  degree  of  credit  we  ought 
to  give  them  is  not  easily  de- 
termined. We  might  from 
good  authority  multiply  the 
accounts  of  the  great  variety  of 
stature  among  mankind.  Ho- 
mer speaks  of  the  giants  Otus 
and  Ephialtes,  who  were  nine 
cubits  round,  and  thirty-six  in 
height.  The  body  of  Orestes 
being  dug  up,  by  order  of  an 
oracle,  was  found  to  be  ten  feet 
and  a  half  in  length.  At  Rome 
in  the  reign  of  Claudius,  one 
Gabbaus  was  nine  feel  nine 
inches  high.  In  1572,  Delerio 
saw  at  Rohan  a  native  of  Pied- 
mont above  nine  feet  high.  In 
1719,  at  Siorkhcnge  in  Eng- 
land, a  human  skeleton  was  dug 
up,  which  was  nine  feet  four 
inches  long.  On  the  other  hand 
we  read  of  whole  tribes  of  men 
indifferent  countries  as  remark- 
able for  their  dimini'ive  stature. 
In  the  interior  of  Madagascar 
among  the  mountains,  which 
are  10  or  12,000  feet  above 
the  ocean,  is  a  nation  of  dwarfs. 
The  ordinary  height  of  the 
men  is  3  feet  5  inches;  that  of 
the  women  is  less.     The  men 


UEP 


REP 


wear  their  beards  long;  their 
hair  is  short  and  woolh ;  they 
are  intelligent,  active,  and  cour- 
ageous* They  defend  them- 
selves u  ith  lances  and  weapons, 
which  they  form  from  iron  and 
steel  of  their  own  manufacture. 
These  people  are  called  Qui- 
mos  orKimos;  they  have  plen- 
ty of  cattle  and  provisions. 
Pinkerton}Modave,Commerson. 
Finally,  to  show  from  good 
authorities,  that  the  stature  of 
Goliath  was  not  impossible,  nor 
incredible,  I  will  mention  Ga- 
bara,  who  in  the  time  of  Claudi- 
us, the  emperor,  was  brought 
out  of  Arabia.  He  was  nine 
feet  nine  inches  high.  Pliny. 
Maximus,  the  emperor,  was 
eight  feet  and  a  half  in  height: 
he  was  a  Thracian,  barbarous, 
cruel,' and  hated  of  all  men;  he 
used  the  bracelet  or  armlet  of 
his  wife  as  a  ring  for  his  thumb, 
and  his  shoe  way  longer  by  a 
foot  than  that  of  an  ordii  ary 
man.  There  were  hi  the  time 
of  Augustus  Cassar,  two  per- 
sons, called  Idusio  and  Secon- 
dillaj  each  of  them  was  ten  feet 
high,  and  somewhat  more. 
Their  bodies  after  their  death, 
were  kept  and  preserved  for  a 
wonder  in  a  sepulchre  within 
the  Salustian  garden.  Vitellus 
sent  Darius,  the  son  of  Arta- 
banus,  an  hostage  at  Rome, 
with  divers  presents,  among 
which  was  a  man  seven  cubits, 


or  ten  feet  two  inches  high,  a 
Jew  born.  He  was  named  E- 
leuzcr,  and  was  called  a  giant 
by  reason  of  his  greatness. 
Merulla,  who  succeeded  Justus 
Lipsius,  as  professor  of  history 
in  the  university  of  Leyden, 
asserts  that  he  himself  saw  in 
France  a  Fleming,  who  ex- 
ceeded nine  feet  in  height. 
This  was  in  1583.  Becanus 
saw  a  man  near  ten  feet  high, 
and  a  woman  full  ten  feet  high. 
We  remember  to  have  seen  in 
London,  Bamford,  a  hatter  by 
trade,  who  lived  near  Temple 
Bar,  who  measured  eight  feet 
and  six  or  eight  inches,  yet 
wilfully  lost  four  inches  of  his 
stature  by  a  habit  of  stooping, 
which  he  had  contracted:  and 
we  know  that  OrBrien,  lately 
exhibited  under  the  name  of  the 
Irish  giant,  measured  eight  feet 
six  or  eight  inches  while  living, 
and  I  think,  two  or  three  inches 
more  when  dead.  Parkhimfs 
Hebrew  Lexicon,  i£c. 

REPH1DEM  was  the  elev- 
enth station  or  encampment  of 
the  Israelites  in  the  desert,  Ex. 
xvii,  1.  Departing  from  the 
wilderness  of  Sin,  they  came 
to  Rephidem,  where  the  people 
wanted  water;  they  began  to 
murmur,  against  Moses.  God 
commanded  him  to  carry  the 
people  to  the  rock  of  Horeb. 
Moses  in  the  presence  of  the 
elders  did  what  God  had  com- 


REP 


REP 


nded  him  to  do.  He  struck 
.  rock  and  presently  the  wa- 
.- :rs  burst  forth  in  abundance. 
Rephidem  could  not  be  far 
Vom  Horeb,  because  God  or- 
dered Moses  to  go  from  thence 
to  the  rock  of  Horeb,  to  give 
the  people  water.  And  it  was 
this  same  water  that  served  the 
Israelites  not  only  in  the  en- 
campment of  Rephidem,  and 
in  that  of  mount  Sinai,  but  al- 
so in  their  other  encampments, 
perhaps  as  far  as  Kadesh- 
Barnea.  St.  Paul,  1  Cor.  x,  4, 
says  that  this  rock  followed 
them  in  their  journey,  and  that 
it  was  the  figure  or  type  of  Jer 
sus  Christ.  "For  they  drank 
of  that  spiritual  rock  that  fol- 
lowed them,  and  that  rock  was 
Christ."  Whether  the  stream 
of  water  followed  them,  or  that 
they  followed  the  running  wa- 
ter, or  whether  they  always 
carried  of  this  water  along  with 
them,  as  iElian  says  the  water 
of  Choaspes  always  followed 
the  king  of  Persia,  that  is,  that 
?t  was  always  carried  after  him, 
because  he  would  drink  no 
other:  or  lastly,  whether  the 
rock  of  Horeb  might  not  be 
drawn  upon  a  carriage  in  the 
manner  of  a  great  tun,  always 
full  and  always  open  to  who- 
ever had  inclination  to  drink. 
This  last  hypothesis  is  em- 
braced by  the  Rabbins,  and  by 
some  of  the  ancient   fathers. 


The  Jews  add,  that  these  wa- 
ters being  granted  for  the  sake 
of  the  merits  of  Miraim,  the 
sister  of  Moses,  they  failed  as 
soon  as  she  was  dead;  and  hence 
it  is,  that  in  the  encampment 
of  Kadesh  Barnea,  which  was' 
soon  after  the  death  of  Miriam, 
we  see  the  people  again  fall  in- 
to murmurings,  for  want  of 
water,  Numb.  xx. 

This  miracle  at  Rephidem, 
happened  in  the  year  of  the 
world  2513 f  in  the  second 
month  after  their  departure 
from  Egypt.  Travellers  say  that 
at  the  foot  of  the  mount  of  Ho- 
reb is  still  to  be  seen  the  brook 
of  water  that  God  caused  to 
gush  out  from  thence,  at  the 
instigation  of  Moses.  Others 
say,  that  indeed  there  is  a 
stream  that  runs  at  the  foot 
of  this  mountain,  but  as  to  the 
rock  itself,  there  is  no  water 
that  runs  from  it,  but  there 
may  be  seen,  as  it  were,  twelve 
mouths, whence  water  may  have 
flowed  heretofore.  Morisorts 
Voyages,  Book  I. 

The  rock  is  thus  described: 
It  is  a  rock  of  red  marble,  a- 
bout  four  yards  square.  In  all 
the  openings  or  mouths  are  hor- 
izontal, and  in  some  of  them 
perpendicular  cracks,  which 
could  never  have  been  produced 
by  any  tool.  Like  the  rent  in 
the  rock  of  Calvary,  it  pro- 
duces religious  surprize  in  the 


REG 


REU 


most  philosophical  spectators. 
In  the  wilderness  of  Kadesh,  is 
the  other  rock,  mentioned  in 
Numbers  xx,  from  which  water 
flowed,  and  a  stream  followed 
the  camp,  being  twice  smitten 
by  the  rod  of  Moses,  38  years 
after  the  other  miracle.  From 
the  bottom  to  the  top  now  ap- 
pear various  openings,  whence 
the  waters  burst  forth.  The 
Arabs  have  a  tradition,  that 
once  a  river  watered  this  neigh- 
borhood. 

RESEN,  a  city  of  Assyria, 
built  by  Asher,  between  Nine- 
veh and  Calah,  Gen.  x,  12. 
Some  think  that  all  three  places, 
with  Rehoboth,  are  finally  uni- 
ted in  Nineveh.  But  perhaps 
Resin,  is  the  same  as  Larissa 
on  the  Tigris,  which  was  eight 
miles  in  circuit,  the  walls  100 
feet  high,  and  25  broad.  In 
A.  D.  772,  among  the  Nine- 
vite  cities,  which  were  depop- 
ulated by  the  Arabs,  we  find 
Ressin,  which  no  doubt  is  the 
Resen  of  scripture;  it  is  men- 
tioned among  the  cities  of  As- 
syria. 

"  RESEFH,  a  city  of  Syria, 
known  in  the  second  book  of 
Kings  xix,  12. 

REGIUM,  a  maritime  city 
of  Italy  in  the  kingdom  of  Na- 
ples. St.  Paul  landed  here 
when  he  went  to  Rome,  in  the 
the  year  of  Christ  61,  Acts 
xxviii,  12,  14.     St.  Luke  be- 


ing then  of  his  company,  and 
having  said  nothing  of  those 
miracles,  that  are  pretended  to 
have  been  performed  by  St. 
Paul  in  this  place,  his  silence 
should  at  least  render  them  very 
much  suspected.  This  place  is 
now  called  Reggio.  It  stands 
on  the  strait  of  Messina;  it  has 
a  large  woollen  factory,  and  is 
190  miles  south  by  east  from 
Naples.  It  was  originally  set- 
tled by  a  colony  from  Chalcis. 
After  the  defeat  of  Pompey,  Ju- 
lius Czesar  rebuilt  this  place  in 
a  splendid  style;  since  which 
it  has  often  been  injured  by 
earthquakes,  and  plundered  by 
Turks.  The  place  is  now  the 
seat  of  an  archbishop,  and  has 
two  colleges,  but  its  commerce 
has  declined,  and  its  popula- 
tion is  not  numerous. 

RESSA,  a  famous  city  of 
Arabia  Petrea,  probably  the 
Rissah,  and  encampment  of  Is- 
rael in  the  desert.  Josephus 
mentions  the  castle  of  Ressa  in 
Idumea:  and  St.  Jerom,  in  the 
life  of  St.  Kilamon,  says  that 
saint  converted  the  whole  city 
of  Ressa,  situate  between  Ka- 
desh and  Gaza.  Perhaps  this 
is  the  Larissa,  mentioned  by 
William  of  Tyre;  and  Aris- 
chi,  an  episcopal  city  in  the  des- 
ert of  the  children  of  Israel. 

REUBEN,  this  tribe  was 
situated  at  the  south-east  cor- 
ner of  Canaan,   the  Moabite-s 


REU 


RHO 


lying  on  the  east,  and  the  Midi- 
anites south:  concerningRcuben 
his  father  hath  said,  "Unstable 
as  water,  thou  shalt  not  excel;" 
or  as  Dr.  Claik  renders  the 
words,  "Pouring  out  like  the 
waters — thou  shalt  not  excel." 
Accordingly  this  tribe  never 
rose  to  any  eminence  in  Israel; 
it  was  not  so  numerous  by  al- 
most one  third  as  either  Judah 
or  Dan.  When  numbered  in 
the  wilderness  of  Sinai,  the  tribe 
of  Reuben  was  46,500.  "These 
were  the  males  20  years  old  and 
upwards,  able  to  go  forth  to 
war."  But  those  in  Dan  were 
62,700,  in  Judah  74,600.  We 
have  no  mention  in  the  history 
of  Israel,  of  either  king,  or 
judge,  or  prophet,  or  any  re- 
nowned person  in  any  profes- 
sion, descended  from  Reuben. 
The  remark  of  Mr.  Scott  is, 
"That  children  actually  do  suf- 
fer in  this  world  for  the  crimes 
of  their  parents."  Reuben  had 
committed  incest  with  his  fath- 
er's concubine.  When  this 
tribe  was  numbered  again  on 
the  plains  of  Moab,  their  mi- 
litia amounted  to  no  more  than 
43,730,  while  Zebulon  was 
£0,500.  The  very  situation  of 
this  tribe,  which  yet  they  chose 
for  themselves,  exposed  them 
to  perpetual  devastations  from 
their  enemies.  They  were  a 
frontier  to  the  Syrians,  Moab- 
ites,  and  Ammonites.     In  the 


days  of  Deborah,  the  Reuben- 
iies  were  so  embarrassed  with 
their  own  broils,  that  they  could 
send  no  help  to  Barak.  Final- 
ly,  Tiglath-pileser  carried  them 
captive  into  the  north-eastern 
part  of  his  empire,  Judges  xv, 
16;   1  Chron.  xii,  and  xxvii. 

RHODES,  an  island  lying 
soudi  of  the  river  Caria,  in  Les- 
ser Asia,  and  among  the  Asiatic 
isles,  is  accounted  for  dignity 
next  to  Cyprus  and  Lesbos, 
it  being  40  miles  long,  and  15 
broad.  It  was  remarkable  a- 
mong  the  ancients,  for  the  ex- 
pertness  of  its  inhabitants  in 
the  art  of  navigation;  for  a  col- 
lege, in  which  the  students  were 
eminent  for  eloquence,  and 
mathematics;  it  was  a  princi- 
pal university  of  the  Roman 
empire.  The  old  academies 
of  the  empire  were  Rhodes, 
Marseilles,Tarsus,  Athens,  and 
Alexandria.  Rhodes  was  also 
remarkable  for  the  clearness  of 
its  air,  there  not  being  a  day  in 
a  year,  when  the  sun  did 
not  shine  upon  it;  for  its  pleas- 
ant and  healthy  climate,  which 
induced  the  Roman  nobility  to 
make  it  a  place  of  their  recess, 
and  more  especially  for  its  pro- 
digious statue  of  brass,  conse- 
crated to  the  sun,  and  called  his 
colossus.  This  statue  was  70 
cubits  high,  had  every  finger, 
as  big  as  an  ordinary  man,  and 
standing  astride,  over  the  mouth 


KHO 


RHO 


of  the  harbor,  so  that  the  shins 
sailed  between  its  legs.  On 
account  of  its  vast  bulk,  it  was 

reckoned  one  of  the  seven 
Wonders  of  the  world7  This 
colossus  was  thrown  down  by 
an  earthquake;  when  carried  to 
Egypt,  it  furnished  a  load  for 
900  camels. 

When  St.  Pml  went  to  Je- 
rusalem ill  the  year  of  Christ 
58,  he  went  from  Miletus  to 
Coos,  from  Coos  to  the  isle  of 
Rhodes,  and  thence  to  Patana 
in  Lycia,  Acts  xxi,  1. 

The  Septuagint  and  Samar- 
itan Bibles,  instead  of  Doda- 
nim, Gen.  x,  4,  &c.  read  Ro- 
danim.  St.  Jerome,  Isidore, 
and  Eusebius  follow  them;  and 
think  the  isle  of  Rhodes  to 
have  been  peopled  by  'he  Rho- 
danim  or  posterity  of  Javan: 
but  in  the  Hebrew  it  is  Doda- 
nim,  and  in  that  language 
nothing  can  happen  more  easi- 
ly, than  to  confound  the  Daleth 
and  the  Resh.  See  the  arti- 
cles Dedan  and  Dodanim. 
Probably  the  island  was  settled 
by  the  sons  of  Dodanim,  who 
was  the  grandson  of  Japhet. 
These  islanders  were  once  a 
most  formidable  maritime  pow- 
er; the  Romans  called  them  the 
maritime  people,  or  a  nation  of 
sailors;  they  commanded  the 
neighboring  seas,  and  mari- 
time causes  were  decided  ac- 
cording to  the  laws  of  the  Rho- 
51 


dians.  The  soil  of  the  island 
was  fruitful,  producing  the 
most  delicious  wines  and  the 
richest  fruits.  The  Rhodians 
maintained  a  long  contest  with 
the  Greeks  and  Romans;  but 
having  applied  to  the  Romans 
for  aid  against  their  enemies, 
they  as  may  be  expected  in  all 
similar  cases,  seized  the 
island  for  themselves,  and  made 
it  a  Roman  colony.  Concern- 
ing its  subsequent  history  we 
only  add,  that  in  A.  D.  1124, 
the  Venetians  took  Rhodes 
and  held  it  three  years.  In 
1283  it  was  again  taken  by  the 
Turks;  but  in  1308  they  were 
driven  ofFby  the  knights  of  St. 
John  of  Jerusalem;  but  in 
1522  Rhodes  was  attacked  by 
Solyman,  the  magnificent,  with 
300  ships,  and  200,000  men, 
the  capital  surrendered  after 
having  lost  90,000of  its  people. 
The  loss  of  the  Turks  was 
much  greater.  The  present 
population  of  the  island  is  esti- 
mated at  4,700  families  of 
Turks,  2,500  of  Greeks,  100 
Jews,  in  all,  7,300,  or  probably 
about  36.500  souls. 

Rhodes,  the  capital  of  the 
above  island,  built  by  Hyppo- 
damus,  a  famous  architect  of 
Miletus,  was  three  leagues  in 
circumference,  the  beauty  of 
its  harbor,  says  Strabo,  of  its 
streets  and  walls,  and  the  mag- 
nificence of  its  monuments  ren- 


RHO 


RHO 


der  it  so  much  superior  to  all 
other  cities,  as  to  admit  of  no 
comparison.  Their  schools 
attained  so  high  a  degree  of 
celebrity,  that  they  were  resort- 
ed to  bysome  of  the  greatest  men 
of  Rome;  among  whom  were 
Marcus,  Brutus,  Cicero,  Cato, 
Cassius,  Caesar,  and  Pompey. 
Alexander,  who  regarded  this 
city  as  the  first  in  the  world, 
chose  here  to  deposite  his  last 
will.  The  modern  town, 
built  on  the  ruins  of  the  an- 
cient city,  occupies  only  a 
quarter  of  its  extent,  and  pos- 
sesses no  remarkable  antiqui- 
ties. Not  the  smallest  remains 
of  the  threatre,  temples,  and 
portico,  are  to  be  discovered. 
Statues,  collossuses,  paintings, 
all  eare  gone.  To  wide  and 
skilfully  disposed  streets,  to 
those  regularly  arranged  edi- 
fices, where  each  front  present- 
ed the  same  order  of  architec- 
ture, have  succeeded  narrow 
and  winding  lanes.,  and  houses 
without  taste,  regularity, or  dec- 
oration. The  knights  of  Rhodes, 
left  various  traces  of  their  res- 
idence in  the  island.  Their 
armorial  ensigns,  and  some 
busts  of  the  grand  masters, 
sculptured  in  relief,  on  marble, 
decorated  the  front  of  several 
buildings.  The  walls  and 
towers,  they  erected  still  sub- 
sist, and  bear  the  marks  of 
their  brave  and  obstinate  de- 
fence.      The   church   of    St. 


John  has  been  converted  into  a 
mosque.  The  vast  hospital, 
in  which  Christian  charity  re- 
ceived the  faithful  from  all 
parts  of  the  world,  and  fur- 
nished them  with  succors,  at 
this  day  serves  as  a  granary  for 
the  Turks.  Rhodes  has  two 
harbors.  The  smallest  faces 
the  east  and  is  called  Darea. 
Rocks  at  a  small  distance  from 
each  other,  in  the  front,  block 
the  entrance,  and  only  leave 
room  for  one  vessel  to  pass. 
Moles  raised  on  each  side,  de- 
fend it  from  the  wind.  The 
Turks,  who  since  the  conquest 
of  the  island  have  not  removed 
from  it  a  single  grain  of  sand, 
suffer  it  gradually  to  choke  up. 
There  is  only  water  enough  for 
merchant's  ships,  and  even 
these  are  obliged  to  unload  a 
part  of  their  cargo,  before  they 
can  enter  it.  The  other  har- 
bor is  large,  it  bears  the  name 
of  Rhodes;  and  in  this  frigates 
of  30  guns  may  anchor.  Ves- 
sels are  here  defended  from  the 
westerly  winds,  which  in  these 
latitudes,  prevail  nine  months 
in  the  year.  Long.  28,  20,  east. 
Lat.  26,  25,  north.  The  Jews 
who  fled  here  from  Spain  are 
the  principal  people. 

The  following:  information 
from  a  traveller,  who  visited  the 
place  a  few  years  since,  gives 
rather  a  more  favorable  view. 
On  the  morning  of  the  9th  I 
visited  the  different  quarters  of 


RIIO 


HIM 


the  town,  which  is  of  consider- 
able extent.  The  houses  are 
built  of  free  white  stone.  The 
street?  are  kept  in  the  nicest 
order,  are  very  prettily  paved 
with  marble  pebbles,  brought 
from  the  beach  and  disposed 
With  great  taste.  The  inhabi- 
tants are  a  mixture  of  Turks, 
Jews,  and  Greeks,  the  latter  of 
whom  are  the  most  numerous. 
As  a  distinct  quarter  is,assigned 
to  each,  it  may  be  said  there 
are  three  towns  in  Rhodes, 
•which  are  thus  denominated 
afier  the  deferent  nations.  The 
inhabitants  have  healthy  and 
agreeable  countenances.  We 
rode  to  the  north  side  of  the 
island,  and  proceeded  to  the 
spot,  which  was  the  scite  of  the 
ancient  Rhodes.  It  stood  on 
a  very  lofty  mountain,  from 
which  we  had  a  fine  view  of 
the  surrounding  country.  The 
valleys  are  cultivated  with  care; 
the  vineyards  are  enclosed  with 
stonewall,  round  these  enclos- 
ures are  fi^  and  olive  trees. 
Lofty  trees  of  ash,  oak,  and 
fir,  are  not  wanting.  The 
high  lands  are  covered  with 
fr<'.,;rant  herbs,  which  perfume 
the  air;  here  is  plenty  of 
game,  cattle,  and  sheep:  the 
bread  and  fruits  are  excellent. 
Rhodes  is  a  salubrious,  fertile, 
and  pleasant  island;  the  seasons 
are  never  in  the  extremes;  but 
the  population  is  now  reduced 
to  15,000. 


RIBLAH,  a  city  of  Syria 
in  the  country  of  Hamath, 
which  according  to  St.  Jerome, 
was  the  same  with  what  was 
afterwards  taken  for  Antioch 
of  Syria.  See  the  article  Anti- 
och. 

However  this  may  be,  the 
situation  of  Riblah  was  one  of 
the  most  agreeable  of  all  Syr- 
ia, whence  it  was  that  the  kings 
of  Babylon  were  so  willing  to 
make  their  abode  there.  Pha- 
raoh-Necho,  king  of  Egypt, 
made  a  stop  there,  at  his  re- 
turn from  the  expedition  of 
Carchemesh,  2  Kings  xxiii,33. 

RIMMON,  a  city  of  Ca- 
naan, belonging  to  the  tribe  of 
Zebulon,  1  Chron  vi,  77. 
This  was  also  the  name  of  the 
rock,  to  which  the  children  of 
Benjamin  retreated,  after  their 
defeat,  Judg.  xx,  45;  xxi,  13. 
Lat.  31,  5  L 

Rimmon,  the  name  of  a 
valley,  Zcch.  xiv,  10;  or  as 
Lyra  thinks,  a  city  not  far 
from  Megiddo. 

RIMMON-METHOAR,  a 
city  of  Zebulon  Josh,  xix,  13. 

RIM  MO  NO,  a  city  of 
priests  in  the  tribe  of  Zebulon, 
1  Chron.  vi,  62;  thought  by 
some  to  be  the  same  as  Rim- 
mon-Met  hoar. 

RIMMON-PARES,  the 
sixteenth  encampment  of  the 
Israelites  in  the  wilderness, 
Numb  xxxji,  19.  From  Rith- 
rnah  they  went   to  Rimmon- 


ROM 


ROM 


pares,  and  from  thence  to  Lib- 
nah.     Lat.  29,  36. 

RISSA,  (ir  Ressa,  an  en- 
campment of  Israel  in  the  wil- 
derness. They  came  from 
Libnah  to  Rissa,  and  from  Ris- 
sa  they  went  to  Kehelathah. 
Lar.  ."0.     See    Ressa. 

RITHMATH,  or  Reth- 
ma,  another  encampment  of 
Israel  in  the  desert.  From 
Hazeroth  they  arrived  at  Rith- 
math,  whence  they  went  to 
Rimmon-pares.     Lat.  29,  30. 

ROGEL,  a  fountain  near 
Jerusalem,  in  Judah  north. 
The  fuller's  fountain,  where  ar- 
ticks  were  washed  by  treading 
on  them  with  the  feet,  as  the 
name  imports. 

ROME,  the  capital  of  Italy, 
mistress  of  the  Roman  empire, 
was  founded  by  Romulus  and 
Remus,  according;  to  Usher,  in 
the  year  3966  of  the  Julian  pe- 
riod, in  the  year  of  the  world 
3256,  before^  the  Vulgar  Chris- 
tian era,  748,  toward  the  end  of 
the  reign  of  Heztkiah  king  of 
Judah.  The  sacred  authors  of 
the  Old  Testament,  have  never 
once  mentioned  it,  as  we 
know;  but  it  is  well  known  in 
the  bocks  of  the  Maccabees, 
and  of  ti.e  New  Testament. 
St  Peter  in  his  first  epistle,  v, 
13,  has  marked  it  out  by  the 
figurative  name  of  Babylon. 
The  church  that  is  at  Babylon 
elected,  together  with  you,  sa- 


luteth  you."  St.  John  in  his 
Revelation,  xiv,  8;  xvi,  19; 
xvii,  5;  xviii,  2;  x,  21,  points 
it  out,  more  than  once,  by  the 
same  name,  and  describes  it  in 
such  a  manner,  as  can  agree 
only  with  Rome;  by  its  com- 
mand over  all  nations;  by  its 
cruelty  to  the  saints,  and  by  its 
situation  upon  seven  hills,  Rev. 
xvii,  9. 

The  Rabbins  commonly  give 
to  Rome  the  name  of  Edom, 
and  say  that  the  prophecies  de- 
nounced against  Edom,  shall 
have  their  accomplishment  in 
the  destruction  of  this  great  city. 

The  Jews  generally  call  the 
Romans,  Idu means,  and  the 
Roman  empire,  the  cruel  em- 
pire of  Edom.  It  is  difficult  to 
imagine  lor  what  reason  they 
give  this  denomination  to  Italy 
and  Rome,  which  are  so  far 
from  Idumea,  and  have  never 
had  any  communication  with 
the  Iclumeans.  When  the  more 
knowing  Rabbins  are  asked  the 
reason  of  this,  they  maintain 
with  great  assurance  and  obsti- 
nacy, that  the  Idu  means  em- 
braced Christianity,  settled 
themselves  in  Italy,  and  tly.Te 
extended  their  dominions. 

St.  Jerome  seems  to  have 
thought  that  Chittim,  was 
j.ut  for  Italy,  as  he  translates 
this  word,  by  Italy.  See  Vul- 
gate Bible  in  Numb,  xxiv,  24; 
and  Ezck,  xxvii,  6.     Several 


ROM 


ROM 


of  the  Rabbins  are  also  of 
opinion,  that  by  the  word  Chit- 
tim, we  should  understand 
Rome  and  Italy;  and  Bochart 
has  displayed  all  his  learning  to 
support  this  opinion:  but  the 
sentiments  of  commentators, 
with  regard  to  the  signification 
of  the  word  Chittim,  have  been 
delivered  already  in  this  work 
under  the  head  Chittim. 

The  same  St.  Jerome  also 
translates  the  Hebrew  word 
Tubal,  Isaiah  Ixvi,  19;  by  Italy, 
which  according  to  some,  sig- 
nifies Spain,  and  according  to 
others,  the  Tibarenians. 

The  Roman  empire  is  mark- 
ed out  in  Dan  ii,  40,  by  the 
kingdom  ot  iron,  which  bruis- 
es and  breaks  in  pieces  all  the 
other  kingdoms.  This  is  the 
explication  of  almost  all  inter- 
preters. But  the  geography 
and  history  of  Rome  and  Italy, 
are  too  familiar  to  occupy  the 
pages  of  this  work.  In  the 
apocryphal  books  of  the  Mac- 
cabees, and  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment, mention  is  made  of 
Rome  and  the  people.  For 
example  it  is  said,  1  Maccab. 
viii,  1,  2,  &c.  That  "Judas 
had  heard  of  the  fame  of  the 
Romans,  that  they  were  mighty 
and  valiant  men,  and  such  as 
would  lovingly  accept  all  that 
joined  themselves  unto  them, 
and  make  a  league  of  amity 
with  all  that  came  unto  them. 


And  that  they  were  men  of 
great  valor.  It  was  told  him 
also  of  their  wars  and  noble 
acts,  which  they  had  done 
among  the  Galatians,  and  how 
they  had  conquered  them,  and 
brought  them  under  tribute." 
Judas  had  also  been  informed, 
of  the  conquests  they  had  made 
in  Spain;  that  they  had  brought 
under  their  empire  very  dis- 
tant countries,  and  had  over- 
come kings,  that  came  to  make 
war  with  them,  from  the  ex- 
tremities of  the  world.  Lastly, 
that  they  conquered  Philip  and 
Perseus,  kings  of  Macedonia, 
or  of  the  Chittims,  and  Anti- 
ochus  the  Great,  king  of  Syria, 
that  had  deprived  him  of  a 
great  part  of  his  provinces; 
that  they  had  also  reduced  the 
Greeks,  who  had  attempted  to 
make  head  against  them;  and  in 
a  word,  that  they  confirmed  in 
their  kingdoms,  all  those  they 
had  a  mind  should  reign;  and 
on  the  contrary,  deprived  those 
of  their  crowns  whom  they  did 
not  intend  should  longer  enjoy 
them.  Yet  nevertheless,  that 
none  of  them  would  wear  either 
the  diamond  or  the  purple,  but 
that  they  had  chosen  a  senate 
from  among  themselves,  con- 
sisting of  three  hundred  and 
twenty  senators,  who  consulted 
every  day  about  the  affairs  of 
the  republic;  that  they  commit- 
ted every    year  the  sovereign 


ROM 


ROM 


magistracy  to  one  person,  "who 
had  the  whole  command 
through  all  their  territories;  and 
that  thus  all  were  agreeable  to 
one,  without  any  envy  or  jeal- 
ousy among  them. 

This  is  what  fame  had  pub- 
lished in  Judea,  concerning  the 
Romans,  and  what  inclined  Ju- 
das Maccabeus  to  send  two  am- 
bassadors to  Rome,  to  make 
friendship  and  alliance  with 
them,  and  to  desire  them  to 
free  the  Jews  from  the  yoke 
of  the  Syrians,  who  could  op- 
press them  in  their  liberties 
and  overturn  their  religion. 
These  ambassadors  were  very 
well  received  by  the  Romans,and 
here  is  the  substance  of  the  re- 
ply they  sent  back  to  Jeursalem, 
which  remained  written  at 
Rome  upon  tables  of  brass. 
"May  the  Romans  and  the  na- 
tion of  the  Jews,  be  replenish- 
ed with  all  happiness  for  ever, 
both  by  sea  and  land,  and  may 
the  sword  and  the  enemy  be 
removed  at  a  great  distance 
from  them.  If  any  war  should 
happen  against  the  Romans  or 
their  allies,  through  the  whole 
extent  of  their  dominions,  the 
Jews  shall  assist  them  heartily 
in  the  same,  as  far  as  the  cir- 
cumstances shall  allow  them  to 
do;  nor  shall  the  Romans  be 
obliged  to  provide  any  thing 
for  such  troops,  as  shall  come 
to  their  assistance.      That  if  in 


time"to'come,eitherof  the  parties 
shall  think  fit  to  add  any  thing 
to,  or  to  take  any  thing  from, 
what  is  here  agreed  to,  it  shall 
be  done  by  mutual  consent, 
and  whatever  shall  be  added 
or  taken  away  shall  be  firm  and 
stabie.  And  as  to  the  misfor- 
tunes that  Demetrius  Soter, 
has  occasioned  to  the  Jews,  we 
have  writ  to  him  in  these 
words.  Why  have  you  laid 
such  a  heavy  yoke  upon  the 
Jews,  who  are  our  friends  and 
allies?  Know  there  lore,  that  if 
they  shall  any  more  make 
these  complaints  to  us,  we 
shall  do  them  justice,  and  shall 
invade  your  dominions  by  sea 
and  land." 

Such  was  the  first  alliance, 
that  the  Jews  made  with  the 
Romans,  in  the  year  of  the 
world  3842.  Some  years  after 
this,  namely,  in  the  year  of  the 
world  3860,  Jonathan  the 
brother  of  Judas  Maccabeus, 
1  Maccab.  xii,  1,  2,  3,  &c. 
finding  the  opportunity  to  be 
favorable,  sent  a  deputation  to 
Rome  to  renew  their  alliance 
with  the  senate,  and  the  senate 
sent  them  letters,  directed  to 
the  governors  of  the  several 
provincesj  to  have  them  recon- 
ducted safe  to  Judea.  Lastly, 
Simon  Maccabeus,  brother  to 
Judas  and  Jonathan,  sent  to 
Rome  upon  the  same  errand* 
an  ambassador  called  Numew- 


ROM 


ROM 


ius,  with  a  present  of  a  great 
golden  buckler.  Numenius  was 
very  well  received,  the  senate 
grained  what  was  desired,  and 
the  Romans  called  the  Jews 
their  friends,  brethren,  and  al- 
lies. Demetrius  Nicator  being 
informed  of  this,  conferred 
great  honors  upon  Simon  the 
high  priest,  confirmed  him  in 
the  priesthood,  declared  him 
his  frierid,  and  raised  him  to  a 
high  degree  of  glory. 

Before  this  happened,  in  the 
y  i  of  the  world  3840,  Quintus 
Memmius,  and  Titus  Manilius, 
the  Roman  legates,  2  Mace,  xi, 
37,  35,  36,  being  sent  into  Syria 
to  settle  some  affairs  with  king 
Antiochus  Eupator,  interested 
themselves  in  promoting  the 
tranquillity  of  the  Jews,  and 
wrote  to'  them  in  this  manner. 
"We  confirm  to  you  the  same 
things  that  Lysias  the  king's 
kinsman  has  granted  to  you. 
And  as  to  such  things  which 
he  thinks  ought  to  be  laid  be- 
fore the  king,  send  somebody 
hither  as  soon  as  vou  can,  af- 
ter  you  have  well  considered 
among  yourselves,  that  we  may 
make  such  determinations  a- 
bout  them  as  may  be  for  your 
advantage;  for  we  are  going 
soon  to  Antioch.  Wherefore 
make  haste  to  write  to  us,  that 
we  may  be  well  informed  of 
what  you  desire." 

The  Romans  took  the  city 


of  Jerusalem  no  less  than  three 
times:  first  by  the  arms  of 
Pompoy,  in  the  year  of  the 
world  3941.  The  second  was 
by  Sosius,  in  the  year  3967; 
and  the  third  and  last  time  was 
under  Titus,  in  the  73d  year 
of  Christ,  or  the  70th  of  the 
vulgar  Christian  era,  when  both 
the  city  and  temple  were  ut- 
terly destroyed.  They  reduced 
Judea  into  a  province,  first  af- 
ter the  banishment  of  Arche- 
laus,  and  in  the  19th  year  of 
Jesus  Christ,  and  it  continued 
in  this  state  till  the  fortieth 
year  of  the  Christian  era.  It 
was  again  reduced,  in  the  47th 
year  of  Christ,  and  remained 
thus  till  it  was  entirely  over- 
thrown. 

The  Latins  say  that  St.  Pe- 
ter, who  for  his  genius,  energy, 
and  virtues  was  the  prince  of 
the  apostles,  was  covered  and 
fortified  by  divine  arms,  and 
who  alone  by  his  powerful 
mind,  carried  the  excellent  mer- 
chandize of  the  true  Light  from 
the  east  to  the  west,  was  in  the 
reign  of  Claudius  led  to  Rome. 
The  foundation  of  the  Roman 
church  is  ascribed  to  Peter 
and  Paul;  the  latter  being  the 
apostle  of  the  pagans,  the  for- 
mer of  the  Jews.  After  the 
martyrdDm  of  these  under  Ne- 
ro, the  following  persons  were 
pastors  of  this  church.  Linus 
succeeded    the    apostles,   and 


ROM 


ROM 


Was  continued  1 1  or  12  years. 
He  was  mentioned  by  Paul  in 
his  letter  to  Timothy-  "Salute 
Eubulus,  Prudens,  Linus,  and 
Claudia."  He  was  succeeded 
by  Anacletus,  who  after  a  min- 
istry of  nine,  or  as  others  say, 
of  only  two  years,  was  removed 
by  death.  In  A.D.  91,  and  in 
the  10th  of  Domitian,  Clement 
became  bishop  of  the  church  in 
Rome.  A  letter  of  his  to  the 
church  at  Corinth  is  still  ex- 
tant. The  apostle  Paul,  writ- 
ing  to  the  Philippians,  informs 
them  that  Clement  was  his  fel- 
low  laborer.  He  must,  there- 
fore, have  been  advanced  in 
life,  before  he,  commenced  his 
ministry  at  Rome;  yet  he  con- 
tinued to  preach  the  word  of 
God  with  great  care  for  nine 
years  and  four  months,  finish- 
ing his  earthly  labors  in  the 
third  year  of  the  emperor  Tra- 
jan. He  had  been  condemned 
to  labor  in  the  marble  quarries, 
near  the  Euxine,  and  by  the 
command  of  the  emperor  was 
finally  thrown  into  the  sea  with 
an  anchor  fastened  to  his  neck. 
Euaristus,  by  birth  a  Greek, 
though  his  father  was  a  Jew  of 
Bethlehem,  now  succeeded  to 
the  ministry  of  the  church  in 
Rome,  which  he  enjoyed  for 
nine,  or  as  others  say,  thirteen 
years,  when  he  was  crowned 
with  martyrdom  in  the  last  year 
of  Trajan.     In  the  third  year 


of  Adrian,  Alexander,  a  Ro- 
man, though  young  in  years, 
was  grave  in  his  manners  and 
conversation.  His  ministry  was 
terminated  by  martyrdom  after 
ten  years  and  seven  months. 
Xistus  was  the  next  pastor  of 
Rome  and  suffered  martyrdom 
after  having  served  the  church 
ten  years.  He  was  buried  in 
the  Vatican.  In  the  first  year 
of  Antoninus  Pius,  who  suc- 
ceeded Adrian,  after  he  had 
governed  the  empire  twenty- 
one  years,  Telesphorus  became 
bishop  of  the  imperial  city;  the 
mistress  of  the  world.  After  a 
ministry  of  eleven  years  and 
three  months,  he  received  the 
honor  of  martyrdom,  and  was 
buried  near  St.  Peter  in  the 
Vatican.  The  next  bishop  was 
Hyginus,  the  son  of  an  Athe- 
nian philosopher,  who  contin- 
ued four,  or  as  Eusebius  says, 
eight  years.  He  was  succeed- 
ed by  Pius,  an  Italian,  who 
continued  bishop  for  eleven 
years  and  four  months,  though 
Eusebius  says,  fifteen  years. 
Anicetus,  a  native  of  Syria,  now 
became  bishop  of  Rome,  who 
after  nine,  or  as  others  say. 
eleven  yeaas,  was  condemned 
to  martyrdom,  and  buried  in 
the  Via  Appia,  in  the  cemetery 
of  Callistus.  In  his  time  Poly- 
carp  went  to  Rome.  Would 
the  limits  of  this  work  permit, 
it  would  be  an  interesting  em- 


ROM 


•SAB. 


Jiloy  to  recite  the  progress  of 
the  gospel  in  the  Roman  em- 
pire, the  zeal  of  its  advocates, 
and  the  surprising  magnanimity 
of  its  martyrs.  Sometimes  the 
government  was  fierce  as  the 
tigers  of  the  forest  for  the  des- 
truction of  the  Christians, 
sometimes  it  was  more  mild. 
Of  the  last  description  was  the 
reign  of  Adrian.  A  short  let- 
ter of  his  may -be  a  curiosity. 
"Unto  Minutius  Fundus,  Pro- 
consul of  Asia,  Adrian  sendeth 
greeting.  I  received  a  letter 
from  Serenus  Granianus,  that 
excellent  man,  thy  predeces- 
sor, on  account  of  which  I 
cannot  remain  silent,  lest  it 
should  occasion  trouble  tooth- 
ers, and  leave  open  a  door  to 
vile  sycophants.  Wherefore, 
if  the  people  of  thy  province 
can  prove  what  they  allege  a- 
gainst  the  Christians,  and  sup- 
port it  before  the  court,  let 
them  proceed;  but  do  not  im- 
peach and  make  outcries  a- 
gainst  the  Christians  merely  for 
their  name.  It  is  very  import- 
ant that  iheiraccusations  shou'd 
be  known  and  examined  by 
you.  Therefore,  if  any  accuse 
the  Christians,  as  transgressing 
the  laws,  see  that  you  judge 
and  punish  according  to  the 
nature  of  the  crime;  but  in 
plain  words,  if  any  one  from  a 
spirit  of  slander,  spite,  or  mal- 
ice, make  complaint  against 
52 


them,  see  that  you  punish  him 
for  his  slander,  and  chastise 
him  for  his  malice."  Eusebius* 

ROOB,  orRooBA,  a  city  of 
Syria. 

ROSH,  the  name  of  a  peo- 
ple. Bochart  thinks  that  they 
dwelt  in  the  country  around  the 
Araxes. 

RUM  A,  see  Arumah. 

RUM  AH,  a  city  in  the  tribe 
of  Judah.  LvlU31,9.  SeeDumah, 

SABA,  a  region  supposed 
to  be  in  Arabia,  near  the  coast 
of  the  Persian  gulf.     Lat.  24. 

SABEANS,1  Isa.  xlv,  14. 
"The  Sabeans  are  men  of  stat- 
ure." These  are  probably  thd 
Sabeans  of  Arabia  Felix,  or 
those  of  Asia.  They  submit- 
jyed  themselves  to  Cyus,  and 
acknowledged  his  government. 

The  Sabeans,  a  people  of 
Arabia,  were  descended  from 
Saba:  but  as  there  are  several 
known  by  the  name  of  Saba,  or 
Sheba,  who  were  ..il  heads  of  a 
people,  or  of  tribes,  these  must 
be  distinguished.  Those,  who 
took  away  the  flocks  of  Job, 
are  thought  to  be  a  people  of 
Arabia  Deserta,  who  dwelt 
about  B'>zra,  the  descendants 
of  Sheba,  the  son  of  Jokshan. 
The  Sabeans,  descendants  of 
Sheba,  the  son  of  Cush,  it  is 
probable,  were  those*  of  Arabia 
Felix,  famous  for  their  spices; 
and  it  is  the  opinion  of  some, 
that  it  was  from  hence  the  queen 


SAL 


SAL 


fif  Sheba  came  to  hear  the  wis- 
dom of  Solomon.  The  Psalm- 
ist, lxxii,  10,  Jeremiah  vi,  20, 
and  Isa.  Ix.  6,  speak  of  the 
spices  and  riches  of  Seba  or 
Sheba.  The  Sabeans,  sons  of 
Sheba,  son  of  Rheumah,  taken 
notice  of  in  Ezek.  xxvii,  22, 
and  Joel  iii,  8,  are  also  thought 
to  have  dwelt  in  Arabia  Felix. 
Sabeans,  descendants  of  Jok- 
tan,  are  probably  mentioned  by 
Ezekiel,  xxvii,  and  are  sup- 
posed to  have  lived  beyond  the 
Euphrates.  Sabeans  are  'also 
placed  in  Africa,  in  the  isle  of 
Meroe.  Josephus,  Mr.  Bruce, 
and  others,  believe,  that  the 
queen  of  Sheba  was  from  this 
region,  Abyssinia,  and  that  an- 
ciently the  name  of  Saba  cjr 
Sheba  was  applied  to  Meroe. 
SALAMIS,  was  once  a  fa- 
mous city  in  the  isle  of  Cy- 
prus, opposite  to  Seleucia,  on 
the  Syrian  coast.  It  was  the 
first  place  in  the  island  where 
the  gospel  was  preached,  and 
was  in  the  primitive  times, 
made  the  see  of  the  Primate,  or 
metropolitan  of  the  whole  island. 
In  the  reign  of  the  emperor 
Trajan,  it  was  destroyed  by  the 
Jews,  and  rebuilt:  but  after 
that,  being  in  the  time  of  He- 
roditus,  sacked  and  rased  to 
the  ground  by  the  Saracens,  it 
never  recovered  its  former 
splendor,  though  out  of  its  ru- 
ins, is  said  to  have  risen  Fam- 
agusta,  which   was    the   chief 


place  of  the  isle,  when  the 
Turks  took  it  from  the  Vene- 
tians, in  the  year  1570.  St. 
Paul  came  hither,  with  St. 
Barnabas,  in  the  44th  year  of 
the  Vulgar  era,  and  these  con- 
verted Sergius  Paulus,  Acts 
xiii,  5.     Lat.  35,  40. 

SALEHAH,  a  city  of  Ba- 
shan,  called  also  Zalecha,Deut. 
iii,  10.     Lat.  33,  22. 

SALEHAN,  Salecha,  or 
Salch  a,  a  city  in  the  kingdom 
of  Og,  in  the  country  of  Ba- 
shan,  east  from  Jordan,  in  the 
extreme  part  of  Manasseh. 

SALEM.  The  name  of  Sa- 
lem is  given  to  Jerusalem,  Ps. 
lxxvi,  2,  "In  Salem  also  is 
his  tabernacle,  and  his  dwelling 
place  in  Zion."  The  common 
opinion  is,  that  Melchisedec, 
king  of  Salem,  was  king  of  Je- 
rusalem. 

Salem,  or  Shalem,  a  city 
of  the  Shechemites,  where  Ja- 
cob arrived  at  his  return  from 
Mesopotamia,  Gen.  xxiii,  18. 
Eusebius  and  St.  Jerome,  take 
notice  of  this  city;  but  some 
commentators  translate  the  He- 
brew thus:  "Jacob  came  safe 
and  sound  to  a  city  of  She- 
chem."  Shalem  in  Hebrew, 
may  signify  safe  in  health,  &c. 

Salem,  Jerome  says,  that  a 
place  near  to  Jerusalem  was 
called  Salem,  to  the  west. 

Salem,  or  Salumias,  a 
place  in  the  vicinity  of  Scy- 
thdrpolis,  eight  miles  distant. 


SAL 


SA1. 


Salem,  the  city  of  Sliiloh, 
is  so  catted  by  the  Seventy. 

Sale  M,the  city  where  reign- 
ed the  celebrated  Melchisedec. 
Jerome  and  Reland  think  this 
was  not  Jerusalem.  Jerome 
places  it  near  Scythopolis,where 
in  his  time  ruins  were  visible, 
of  what  was  said  to  have  been 
the  palace  of  Melehisedec. 

Salem,  or  Salim,  the  place 
where  John  the  Baptist,  bap- 
tised upon  the  Jordan,  John  iii, 
23.  The  manuscripts  are  very 
indifferent  as  to  Salem  and  Sa- 
lim. The  exact  situation  of 
this  place  is  not  known;  it  is 
however,  supposed  to  be  in  the 
province  of  Samaria. 

SALISSA,  Salisa,  Baal- 
salisa,  or  Salisha,  a  city  of 
Canaan,  north  from  Jerusalem, 
and  15  miles  from  Diospolis, 
1  Sam.  ix,  4,    2  Kings  iv,  42. 

SALMON,  a  city  and  sea- 
port in  the  island  of  Crete.  St. 
Paul  passed  near  this  city,  Acts 
xxvii,  7,  in  his  way  to  Rome, 
in  the  year  of  Christ  60.  Dr. 
Wells,  however,  supposes  it 
was  a  cape  and  not  a  town  which 
St.  Paul  passed  with  difficulty, 
and  says  it  still  retains  this  an- 
cient name.  Others  unite  these 
opinions,  and  suppose  this  the 
name  of  a  city  on  the  cape  of 
the  same  name.  This  city  is 
gone,  but  the  cape  retains  its 
ancient  name.     Lat.  34,  40. 

SALT  SEA,  a  considerable 


body  of  water  in  Palestine, 
where  once  stood  Sodom  and 
several  other  cities,  mentioned 
in  Genesis  xiv,  3.  Josephus 
says,  that  it  was  seventy-two 
miles  long,  and  nineteen  broad. 
But  perhaps,  like  many  lakes  in 
this  country,  its  limits  are  con- 
tracted from  its  former  state; 
for  modern  travellers  assure  us, 
that  now  it  is  no  more,  than  6 
or  7miles  broad.  On  its  east  and 
west  sides  rise  very  high  moun- 
tains; on  the  north,  where  it 
receives  the  Jordan,  extends 
the  fruitful  plain  of  Jericho. 
Mr.  Maundrel  tells  us,  that  the 
water  of  the  lake  is  salt  to  the 
highest  degree,  is  bitter  and 
nauseous,  and  has  a  bitumen- 
ous  stench.  But  as  we  are  in- 
formed, Gen.  xiii,  10,  that  Lot 
chose  this  region  for  his  herds 
and  flocks,  because  it  was  well 
watered,  we  may  suppose  the 
waters  then  were  not  brackish. 
Quantities  of  bitumen  are 
gathered  in  the  vicinity,  which 
in  appearance  exactly  resembles 
pitch;  but  may  be  distinguish- 
ed from  it  by  its  sulphureous 
smell  and  taste:  It  is  used  as 
pitch  by  ship-carpenters;  it  is 
also  good  as  a  salve  for  ulcers 
and  wounds.  Pebbles  are  also 
found  here,  which  burn,  when 
held  in  a  blaze,  producing  an 
intolerable  stench,  but  lose 
nothing  of  their  size.  It  has 
been  supposed,  that  after  the 


9AL 


SAM 


cities  were  destroyed  by  fire, 
the  ground  on  which  they  stood 
was  sunk  by  an  earthquake. 
But  is  it  not  possible,  that  all 
was  effected  in  a  very  natural 
manner;  that  the  lightning, 
which  set  the  towns  on  fire, 
might  consume  the  combusti- 
ble earth,  charged  with  bitu- 
men and  sulphur,  and  the  Jor- 
dan would  fill  the  excavation 
with  its  waters,  which  are  the 
Salt  Sea.  The  Jordan,  the 
Arnon,  the  Kidron,  and  other 
streams,  discharge  their  waters 
into  this  lake.  It  has  no  visi- 
ble communication  with  the 
sea.  No  fish  can  live  in  its  wa- 
ters; hence  it  has  been  called 
the  Dead  Sea.  This  is  the 
general  account  of  authors,  but 
the  monks  of  St.  Saba  told  Dr. 
Shaw,  that  they  had  seen  fish 
caught  here,  and  Dr.  Pocoke 
swam  in  the  lake  nearly  a  quar- 
ter of  an  hour,  and  experienced 
no  inconvenience.  He  says 
the  water  is  very  clear,  and  hav- 
ing had  a  bottle  analyzed,  it 
contained  nothing  but  salt  and 
a  little  alum.  Dr.  Shaw  says, 
that  huge  hemispheres  of  bitu- 
men rise  from  the  bottom,  and 
as  they  touch  the  surface  of  the 
water,  they  burst  with  a  great 
smoke  and  noise.  Here  are 
doubtless,  submarine  fires, 
which  are  said  to  have  con- 
tinued burning,  till  after  the 
days  of  the  apostles. 


SALT,  valley  of.  Interpret 
ters  generally  place  it  to  the 
south  of  the  Dead  Sea  towards 
Idumea;  because  it  is  said  in 
scripture,  2  Sam.  viii,  13,  1 
Chr.  xviii,  12,  that  Abishai 
killed  there  eighteen  thousand 
Idumeansjthat  Joab  killed  the  re 
twelve  thousand  of  them;  and 
that  a  long  while  after  this, 
Amaziah,  king  of  Judah  killed 
ten  thousand  Idumeans,  2 
Kings  xiv,  7,  2  Chr.  xxv,  11. 
Galen  informs  us,  that  they 
made  use  of  the  suit  of  the  lake 
Asphal tiies  to  season  their  meat; 
and  that  it  was  a  stronger  caus- 
tic, and  digested  much  more, 
than  the  other  salts;  because,saic! 
he,  it  is  more  boiled.  We  see 
also  by  the  Maccabees,  1  Mac. 
xi,  35,  and  x,  29,  that  the  kings 
of  Syria  had  brine-pits  in  Ju- 
dea.  Ezekiel,  xlvii,  11,  says, 
that  the  shore  and  tire  marshes 
on  the  Dead  Sea,  should  be  as- 
signed for  the  making  of  salt. 
Mr.  Halifax,  in  his  account  of 
Palmyra,  speaks  of  a  great 
plain  all  covered  with  salt,  from 
whence  the  whole  countryround 
about  is  supplied.  This  plain  is 
about  a  leaguefromPalmyra,and 
extends  itself  towards  the  east- 
ern parts  of  Idumea,  the  cap- 
ital city  of  which  was  Bozra. 
David  beat  the  Idumeans  in  the 
valley  of  salt,  as  he  returned 
from   Syria  of  Zobah. 

SAMARIA,   a  province  of 


SAM 


SAM 


Palestine,  bounded  west  by  the 
Mediterranean,  east  by  the  Jor- 
dan, north  by  Galilee,  and 
•south  by  Judea  proper.  Hence 
Jesus  Clu  ist  must  need  go 
through  Samaria,  u  hen  he  went 
from  Judea  into  Galilee,  John 
iv.  It  was  the  country  of  the 
Ephraimites  or  the  ten  tribes. 
In  the  New  Testament,  Sama- 
ria always  signifies  the  territory 
between  Judea  proper,  and  Gal- 
ilee, where  the  tribes  of  Eph- 
raim,  Manasseh,  and  Issachar 
had  dwelt,   Acts  viii. 

Samaria,  the  capital  city 
of  the  kingdom  of  Samaria,  or 
of  the  ten  tribes.  It  was  built 
by  Omri  king  of  Israel,  who 
began  to  reign  in  the  year  of  the 
world  3079,  and  died  3086,  1 
Kings  xvi,  24.  He  bought 
the  hill  Samaria  of  Shemer,  the 
owner  of  the  hill,  for  3041  dol- 
lars, 67  cents;  though  some 
think  there  were  already  some 
beginnings  of  a  city,  because 
before  the  reign  of  Omri,  there 
is  mention  made  of  Samaria, 
1  Kings,  xiii,  32,  in  the  year 
of  the  world  3030. 

Samaria  was  situated  upon 
an  agreeable  and  fruitful  hill, 
twelve  miles  from  Dothaim, 
twelve  from  Merom.  Jose- 
phus  says  it  was  a  da)  's  jour- 
ney from  Jerusalem.  The  kings 
of  Samaria  omitted  nothing,  to 
make  this  city  the  strongest, 
the  finest,  and  the  richest  possi- 
ble. 


Josephus  says,  that  Herod 
built  in  the  land  of  Sebaste,  a 
city  with  a  very  fine  wall  of 
twenty  furlong:-.,  and  brought 
into  it  six  thousand  inhabitants; 
in  the  middle  he  erected  a  very 
large  temple  to  Caesar,  and 
made  a  grove  about  it  of  three 
half  furlongs,  and  called  the 
city  St  baste.  Benjamin  of 
Tudda  sa\  s,  that  Sebaste  is  Sa- 
maria, where  the  palace  of 
Ahab,  king  of  Israel  is  still 
known.  Now  this  city  stood 
on  a  mountain,  was  well  forti- 
fied, had  springs,  land,  well  wa- 
tered, gardens,  a  paradise,  vine- 
yards, and  olive  yards.  It  is 
eight  miles  from  Sychem? 
which  stands  in  a  valley  be- 
tween Gerizim  and  Ebal,  and 
has  about  a  hundred  Cutheans, 
observing  the  law  of  Moses 
only:  they  are  called  Samari- 
tans; and  have  priests  of  die 
seed  of  Aaron.  They  sacrifice 
in  the  temple,  on  mount  Geri- 
zim on  the  day  of  the  passover, 
and  on  feast  days  upon  the  al- 
tar built  there  of  the  stones  set 
up  by  the  children  of  Israel, 
when  they  passed  over  Jordan. 
Mount  Ebal  is  dry,  rocky,  and 
stony. 

The  following  is  the  account 
of  this  city,  as  given  by  D'Ar- 
vieux. 

Napoli  of  Samaria  is  certain- 
ly taken  for  the  ancient  Sy- 
chem.  This  city  is  situated 
partly   on   the   declivity  of  a 


SAM 


SAM 


mountain,  partly  on  the  begin- 
ning of  a  plain.  It  has  been  so 
often  ruined  and  rebuilt,  that 
the  attempt  to  discover  any  of 
its  ancient  buildings  would  be 
fruitless.  It  is  the  only  city  of 
this  province,  and  of  course  is 
the  residence  of  the  governor. 
One  thing  very  remarkable  in 
the  mountain  on  which  it  is  sit- 
uated is,  that  half  of  its  sur- 
face is  covered  with  trees, 
shrubs,  and  verdure,  while  the 
other  half  is  arid  and  waste. 
There  would  be  nothing  extra- 
ordinary in  this,  if  the  bare  di- 
vision had  a  northern  aspect; 
manv  others  have  this  peculiar- 
ity, but  these  two  distinctions 
of  this  mountain,  divide  the 
northern  aspect  equally  between 
them,  wiihout  any  other  visi- 
ble distinction. 

There  are  gardens  all  round 
the  city,  not  on  the  mountain 
but  in  the  plain.  These  are 
watered  by  a  little  river,  and  by 
a  number  of  rivulets,  which 
render  this  plain  of  an  admira- 
ble fertility.  The  orange  trees, 
lemon  trees,  fig  trees,  pear  and 
apple  trees,  are  in  perfection 
and  produce  excellent  fruits. 

About  a  quarter  of  a  league 
from  the  city  is  a  fountain, 
which  falls  into  a  bason  of  white 
marble.  About  five  hundred 
paces  from  the  city,  toward  Je- 
rusalem, is  a  well,  at  which 
some  say,  Jacob  watered  the 


Hocks  of  Rachel:  others  say, 
that  at  which  our  Lord  met  the 
Samaritan  woman.  The  Chris- 
tians venerate  it,  and  keep  it 
covered  with  great  stones.  On 
lifting  up  these  stones,  we  de- 
scend into  a  vaulted  cave, 
wherein  is  the  mouth  of  the 
well.  It  appears  to  be  of  great 
antiquity,  is  well  built,  and 
may  be  thirty  or  forty  feet  to 
the  surface  of  the  water. 

SAMARITANS.  The  Sa- 
maritans are  the  people  of  the 
city  of  Samaria,  and  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  province  of  which 
Samaria  was  the  capital  city. 
In  this  sense  it  should  seem, 
that  we  might  give  the  name  of 
Samaritans,  to  the  Israelites  of 
the  ten  tribes,  who  lived  in  the 
city  and  territory  of  Samaria. 
However,  the  sacred  authors 
commonly  give  the  name  of 
Samaritans,  only,  to  those 
strange  people,  whom  the  kings 
of  Assyria  sent  from  beyond 
the  Euphrates,  to  inhabit  the 
kingdom  of  Samaria,  when 
they  took  away  captive  the  Is- 
raelites, that  were  there  before. 
Thus  we  may  fix  the  epoch  of 
the  Samaritans,  at  the  taking  of 
Samaria  by  Salmaneser,  in  the 
year  of  the  world  3283.  This 
prince  carried  away  captive  the 
Israelites,  that  he  found  in  the 
country,  and  assigned  them 
dwellings  beyond  the  Eu- 
phrates,   and    in    Assyria,  -2 


SAM 


SAM 


Kings  xvii,  24.  He  sent  other 
inhabitants  in  their  stead,  of 
which  the  most  considerable 
were  the  Chuthites,  a  people 
descended  from  Cush,  and  who 
are  probably  of  ihe  number  of 
those,  whom  the  ancients  knew 
by  the  name  of  Scythians. 

It  does  not  appear,  that  there 
was  any  temple  in  Samaria,  in 
common  to  all  these  people, 
who  came  thither  from  beyond 
the  Euphrates,  before  the  com- 
ing of  Alexander  the  Great  in- 
to Judea.  Till  that  time,  ev- 
ery one  was  left  to  his  own  dis- 
cretion, and  worshipped  the 
Lord,  where  he  thought  fit. 
But  they  presently  compre- 
hended, from  the  books  of 
Moses;  which  they  had  in  their 
hands,  and  from  the  example 
of  the  Jews  thtir  neighbors,  that 
God  was  to  be  worshipped  in 
that  place  only,  which  he  had 
chosen.  So  that  since  they 
could  not  go  to  the  temple  of 
Jerusalem,  which  the  Jews 
would  not  allow,they  bethought 
themselves  of  building  a  tem- 
ple of  their  own,  upon  mount 
Gerizim,  near  the  city  of  Shec- 
hem,  which  was  then  their  cap- 
ital. Therefore,  Sanballat  the 
governor  of  the  Samaritans,  ap- 
plied himself  to  Alexander,  and 
told  him  he  had  a  son-in-law, 
called  Manasses,  son  to  Jad- 
dus  the  high  priest  of  the 
Jews,  who  had  retired   to  Sa- 


maria with  a  great  number  of 
other  persons  of  his  own  na- 
tion; that  he  desired  to  build  a 
temple  in  this  province,  where 
he  might  exercise  the  high 
priesthood;that  this  undertaking 
would  be  the  advantage  of  the 
king's  affairs,  because  in  build- 
ing a  temple  in  the  province  of 
Samaria,  the  nation  of  the  Jews 
would  be  divided,  who  are  a 
turbulent  and  seditious  people, 
and  by  such  a  division  would 
be  made  weaker,  and  less  in  a 
condition  to  undertake  new  en- 
terprises. 

Alexander  readily  consent- 
ed to  what  Sanballat  desired, 
and  the  Samaritans  presently 
began  the  building  of  the  tem- 
ple on  Gerizim, which  from  that 
time  they  have  always  frequent- 
ed until  very  lately,  as  the 
place  where  the  Lord  intend- 
ed to  receive  the  adoration  of 
his  people. 

The  Samaritans  having  re- 
ceived the  Pentateuch,  or  the 
five. books  of  Moses,  from  the 
priest,  that  was  sent  by  Essar- 
haddon,  have  preserved  it  to 
this  day,  in  the  same  language 
and  character  it  was  then,  that 
is,  in  the  old  Hebrew,  or  Phoe- 
nician character,  which  we 
now  call  the  Samaritan,  to  dis- 
tinguish it  from  the  modern 
Hebrew  character,  which  at 
present,  we  find  in  the  books 
of  the  Jews.      These  last  after 


SAM 


SAM 


their  captivity  changed  their 
old  characters,  and  took  up 
those  of  the  Chaldee,  which 
they  had  been  used  to  at  Baby- 
lon; and  which  they  continue 
still  to  use.  It  is  wrong,  says 
F.  Caltnet,  to  give  this  the 
name  of  the  Hebrew  character, 
for  that  can  be  said  properly 
only  of  the  Samaritan  text. 
The  critics  have  taken  notice 
of  some  variations,  between  the 
Pentateuch  of  the  Jews  and 
that  of  the  Samaritans;  but  these 
varieties  of  reading  chiefly  re- 
gard the  word  Gerizim,  which 
the  Samaritans  seem  to  have 
purposely  introduced,  to  favor 
their  pretensions,  that  mount 
Gerizim  was  the  place,  in 
which  the  Lord  was  to  be 
adored.  The  other  various 
readings  are  of  small  import- 
ance. 

The  religion  of  this  people 
was  at  first  the  Pagan.  Ev- 
ery one  worshipped  the  deity, 
they  had  been  used  to  in  their 
own  country,  2  Kings  xvii,25; 
xxx,  31.  The  Babylonians 
worshipped  Succor  h-benoth; 
the  Chuthites,  Nergal,  the  Ha- 
mathites,  Ashima,  the  Avites, 
Nibhaz  and  Tartak;  the  Sep- 
harvites,  Adrammelech  and 
Anamelek.  If  we  would  enu- 
merate all  the  names  of  false 
gods  to  whom  the  Samaritans 
have  paid  a  sacrilegious  wor- 
ship, we  should  have  enough 
t©  d®. 


The  Samaritans  at  present 
are  very  few  in  number.  Jo- 
seph Scaliger  being  curious  to 
know  their  usages,  wrote  to  the 
Samaritans  of  Egypt  and  to  the 
high  priest  of  the  whole  sect, 
who  resided  at  Neapolis  in 
Syria.  They  returned  two  an- 
swers to  Scaliger,  dated  in  the 
year  of  the  Hegira  998.  By 
these  letters  it  appears,  that 
they  believe  in  God,  in  his  ser- 
vant Moses,  the  holy  law,  the 
mountain  Gerizim,  the  house 
of  God,  the  day  of  vengeance 
and  of  peace;  that  they  value 
themselves  upon  observing  the 
law  of  Moses,  in  many  points 
more  rigidly  than  the  Jews 
themselves.  They  keep  the 
Sabbath  with  the  utmost  strict- 
ness required  by  the  law  with- 
out sdrring  from  the  place  they 
are  in,  but  only  to  the  syna- 
gogue. They  go  not  out  of 
the  city,  and  abstain  from  their 
wives  on  that  day.  They  nev- 
er delay  circumcision  beyond 
the  eighth  day.  They  still  sac- 
rifice to  this  day  in  the  temple 
on  mount  Gerizim,  and  give 
to  the  priest  what  is  enjoined 
by  the  law.  They  do  not  mar- 
ry their  own  nieces,  as  the 
Jews  .do,  nor  do  they  allow 
themselves  a  plurality  of  wives. 
Their  hatred  of  the  Jews  may 
be  seen  through  all  the  history 
of  Joscphus,  and  in  several 
places  of  the  New  Testament. 
The  Jewish  historian  informs 


SAM 


SAM 


us,  that  under  the  government 
of  Coponius,  one  passover 
night,  when  they  opened  the 
gates  of  the  temple,  some  Sa- 
maritans had  scattered  the 
bones  of  dead  men  there,  to 
insult  the  Jews,  and  to  inter- 
rupt the  devotion  of  the  festival. 
The  evangelist  shews  us,  that 
the  Jews  and  Samaritans,  held 
no  correspondence  together. 
There  are  still  at  this  day- 
some  Samaritans,  at  Shechem, 
otherwise  called  Naplouse. 
They  have  priests  there,  who 
say  they  are  of  the  family  of 
Aaron.  Theyhave  a  high  priest, 
who  resides  at  Shechem,  or  at 
Gerizim,  who  offers  sacrifices 
there,  and  who  declares  the 
feast  of  the  passover,  and  all 
the  other  feasts,  to  all  the  dis- 
persed Samaritans.  Some  of 
them  are  to  be  found  at  Gaza, 
some  at  Damascus,  and  some 
at  Grand  Cairo.  The  Samar- 
itans have  been  scattered  over 
several  countries.  They  once 
had  synagogues  in  Cairo,  Da- 
mascus, Joppa,  Gaza,  Askelon, 
and  Cesarea;  but  for  a  long 
time,  their  chief  residence  has 
been  Naplouse,  the  ancient  Si- 
chem.  Benjamin  of  Tudela 
found  there  only  one  hundred 
of  them,  poor  and  miserable. 
In  1590  they  wrote  to  Scaliger; 
they  ask  for  charity,  and  con- 
sider themselves  of  the  tribe  of 
Joseph  bv  Ephraim;  and  speak 
53 


of  their  pontiff,  son  of  Eleazar, 
son  of  Aaron,  and  the  two 
hundred  and  twentieth  from 
Aaron.  Their  pontiffs  never 
go  out  of  the  temple.  The 
Samaritans  offer  sacrifices;  the 
shoulder  and  some  other  parts 
they  give  to  the  priests.  They 
celebrate  seven  feasts;  they  are 
monogomists,  a*nd  practise  the 
ablutions  of  the  law.  The 
Jews  they  reproach  with  not 
observing  continency,  with  go- 
ing out  of  the  city,  and  light- 
ing fires  on  the  Sabbath,  and 
not  obliging  children  to  fast 
till  they  are  seven  years  of  age, 
while  the  Samaritans  excuse 
none  but  children  at  the  breast. 
In  1691  we  hear  from  them  a- 
gain.  "We  have  here  a  small 
number,"  say  they,  ''who  are 
very  poor."  They  considered 
themselves  as  the  only  He- 
brews and  Israelites.  They 
despise,  h  ite,  and  fly  from  the 
Jews  for  fear  of  being  contam- 
inated by  them.  They  have 
preserved  the  Pentateuch  with 
remarkable  care;  a  providen- 
tial event  to  establish  the  au- 
thenticity of  that  portion  of  the 
sacred  scriptures,  before  the 
utter  extinction  of  this  feeble 
colony.  So  lately  as  1808  we 
learn  that  they  continued  at 
Naplouse,  inhabiting  old  de- 
serted houses,  in  a  bad  part  of 
the  city,  that  their  employ- 
ments just  furnished  them  with 


SAM 


SAM 


bread,  that  they  were  in  the 
most  abject  poverty.  They 
marry  only  among  themselves; 
if  they  are  forced  to  touch  a 
stranger,  or  his  garment,  they 
purify  themselves  as  soon  as 
possible.  Their  own  dead  are 
considered  as  impure,  and  are 
therefore  burned  by  the  Ma- 
hometans' or  Christians.  Like 
the  wretched  of  all  countries, 
the  men  are  intemperate.  The 
first  day  of  the  passover,  they 
celebrate  at  midnight;  a  sheep 
is  killed  in  the  synagogue, 
roasted,  and  eaten  there.  They 
write  that  there  are  no  Samari- 
tans in  the  East,  excepting  at 
Naplouse  and  Jaffa.  These  a- 
mount  to  two  hundred  persons, 
men,  women,  and  children, 
composing  thirty  families. 
Thus  are  they  oppressed  and 
crushed.  Hos. viii,7,  "Theyhave 
sown  the  wind,  and  they  shall 
reap  the  whirlwind;  it  hath  no 
stalk;  the  bud  [or  standing 
corn]  shall  yield  no  meal:  if  so 
be  it  yield,  the  strangers  shall 
swallow  it  up."  Since  the  year 
1788  they  have  not  been  able 
co  repair  to  mount  Gcrizim  for 
worship;  but  have  made  their 
sacrifices  in  the  city  Naplouse. 
SAMOS,  a  famous  island 
of  the  Archipelago  upon 
the  coast  of  Asia  Minor,  80 
miles  in  circuit.  The  Romans 
wrote  to  the  governor  of  Samos 
in   favor   ot  the  Jews,  in  the 


time  of  Simon  Maccabeus,  1 
Mace,  xv,  23.  St.  Paul  went 
ashore  on  this  island,  as  he 
went  to  Jerusalem,  Acts  xx,15. 
This  isle  was  40  miles  south- 
east of  Chios,  and  five  miles 
from  the  continent  of  Asia. 
The  lands  are  naturally  fruit- 
ful, and  the  wines  very  pleas- 
ant, but  commerce  is  discour- 
aged under  the  abominable 
government  of  the  Turks,  and 
the  people  are  poor,  not  at- 
tempting to  raise  any  thing 
only  for  their  own  wants.  This 
was  formerly  an  independent 
commonwealth,  and  carried  on 
successful  wars  against  their 
neighbors.  But  this  island  once 
so  commercial  and  opulent,  is 
now  reduced  to  that  miserable 
condition,  that  pirates  land,  and 
plunder,  and  murder  with  im- 
punity. No  Turk  dares  to 
show  his  head  here,  lest  he 
should  be  carried  off  by  these 
rovers.  The  people  have  plenty 
of  patridges,  woodcocks,  snipes, 
thrushes,  woodpigeons,  turtle 
doves,  wheaters,  and  poultry. 
The  inhabitants  are  clothed  in 
the  Turkish  manner,  except  a 
red  coif,  and  their  hair  hanging 
down  their  backs,  with  plates 
of  silver,  -or  block  tin,  fastened 
to  the  ends.  They  have  abun- 
dance of  melons,  lentilcs,  kid- 
ney beans,  muscadine  grapes, 
and  white  figs,  four  times  as 
big  as  the  common  sort,  but 


SAM 

Aot  so  well  tasted.  Their  silk 
is  fine,  and  the  honey  and  wax 
admirable.  They  have  iron 
mines,  and  most  of  the  soil  is 
of  a  rusty  color;  they  have  also 
emery  stone,  and  the  moun- 
tains are  of  white  marble.  Py- 
thagoras was  a  native  of  this 
island.  The  inhabitants,  about 
12,000,  are  chiefly  Greeks; 
have  a  bishop,  who  resides  at 
Corea;  Ion.  27,  13  east;  lat.  37, 
40  north.      Tournefort,  &c. 

SAMOTHRACIA,  an  isl- 
and of  the  iEgean  Sea.  St.  Paul 
departing  from  Troas  to  go  to 
Macedonia,  arrived  first  at  Sa- 
moihracia;  then  landed  in 
Macedonia,  thence  he  went  to 
Neapolis,  and  then  to  Philippi, 
Acts  xvi,  11.  Samothracia  is 
a  small  island  lying  off  the  coast 
of  Thrace  on  the  west.  It  is 
now  called  Samandrachi,  and 
lias  commodious  harbors. 
The  island  is  twenty  miles  in 
circuit;  and  pretty  well  culti- 
vated; it  has  no  town  of  note, 
and  is  in  the  present  age  much 
frequented  by  priests. 

The  island  .was  originally 
peopled  by  a  colony  of  the  Pe- 
Jasgi  and  Athenians,  and  after- 
wards by  the  Samians.  It  was 
anciently  famous  for  the  wor- 
ship of  the  Cabiri,  or  the  great 
gods  of  the  heathen.  Foreign- 
ers of  the  first  distinction 
deemed  itan  honor  to  be  initiat- 


SAR 

ed  into  the  mysteries  of  theSa- 
mothracian  idolatry.  Lat.41,40. 
^  SANSANNAH,  a  city  of 
Canaan  belonging  to  the  tribe 
of  Judah,  Josh,  xv,  31. 

SAPHIR.  The  Greek  cop- 
ies of  Joshua  xv,  48,  place  a 
city  of  this  name  in  the  moun- 
tains'^ Judah:  but  the  Hebrew 
read  Shamir.  However,  Mi- 
cah  i,  2,  speaks  of  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Saphir.  But  perhaps 
intends  here  the  city  of  Sepho- 
ris  in  Galilee.  Eusebius  says, 
that  there  is  a  city  named  Sa- 
phir, situated  between  Eleuthe- 
ropolis,  and  Ashkelon. 

SARAMEL,  or  Sarama- 
el,  a  place  mentioned  in  1 
Maccab.  xiv,  28;  supposed  by 
some  to  be  the  same  with  Mil- 
lo,  while  others  will  have  it, 
that  Saramael  is  here  put  for 
Jerusalem. 

SARDIS,  now  Sart,  a  city 
of  Asia  Minor,  formerly  the 
capital  of  Croesus,  king  of 
the  Lydians.  St.  John  in  his 
Revelation,  iii,  1,  2,  3,  &c. 
writing  in  behalf  of  Jesus 
Christ,  to  the  angel  or  bishop 
of  Sardis,  says,  "I  know  thy 
works,  that  thou  hast  a  name, 
that  thou  livest  and  art  dead. 
Be  watchful  and  strengthen, 
the  things,  which  remain  that 
are  ready  to  die;  for  I  have  not 
found  thy  .works  perfect  be- 
fore Qod.     Remember,  thero 


SAK 

fore,  how  thou  hast  received, 
and  heard,  and  hold  fast,  and 
repent.  If,  therefore,  thou 
shalt  not  watch,  I  will  come 
on  thee  as  a  thief,  and  thou 
shalt  not  know  what  hour  I 
will  come  upon  thee.  Thou 
hast  a  few  names  even  in  Sar- 
dis,  which  have  not  defiled 
their  garments,  and  they  shall 
walk  with  me  in  white;  for 
they  are  worthy.  He  that 
overcometh,  the  same  shall  be 
clothed  in  white  raiment,  and  I 
will  not  blot  out  his  name  out 
of  the  book  of  life,  but  I  will 
confess  his  name  before  my 
Father,  and  before  his  angels." 
We  know  not  the  name  of  the 
bishop,  that  was  at  Sardis. 
Some  moderns  have  thought 
that  it  was  Meiito,  a  famous 
bishop  of  this  city,  an  apologist 
for  the  Christian  religion,  who 
wrote  in  the  time  of  Marcus 
Aurelius,  about  the  vear  170 
or  175.  If  this  were  so,  we 
must  allow  him  to  have  been 
a  bishop  above  75  years;  which 
is  not  easy  to  believe:  for 
none  of  the  ancients  have  said, 
that  he  was  a  disciple  of  the 
apostles,  or  that  he  lived  a  very 
long  time.  We  ought  not, 
therefore,  to  impute  this  antiq- 
uity tohirn  without  any  proof; 
which  besides  is  not  very  hon- 
orable to  him,  since  St.  John 
speaks  of  the  angel  of  Sardis, 
in    terms    not   very    advanta- 


SAR 

geous  tohim.  The  city  stood 
on  the  Pactolus,  and  was  the 
royal  city  of  the  Lydian  kings, 
till  Croesus,  the  last  of  them, 
was  conquered  by  Cyrus,  the 
first  Persian  emperor.  In  the 
time  of  Xerxes,  being  taken  by 
the  Greeks,  it  so  startled  him, 
that  he  commanded  one  of  his 
attendants,  to  say  aloud  every 
day,  while  he  was  at  dinner, 
"the  Grecians  have  taken  Sar- 
dis," continuing  that  memento, 
till  it  should  be  recovered. 
Being  overthrown  by  a  most 
terrible  earthquake,  it  was  re- 
built at  the  cost  of  Tiberias, 
and  continued  long  to  be  the 
metropolis  of  Lydia:  Strabo 
tells  us,  that  it  was  a  great  and 
ancient  city;  yet  of  later  date 
than  the  sta'te  of  the  Trojans.  It 
had  in  his  time  a  castle  well 
fortified;  the  mountain  Tmolus 
hanging  over  the  city,  in  the 
top  of  which  was  erected  an 
high  tower  of  white  stone, 
built  after  the  Persian  manner, 
from  whence  is  a  pleasing 
prospect  over  all  the  adjacent 
plains;  and  a  view  of  the  Cay- 
ster.  Out  of  the  Tmolus  flows 
the  Pactolus;  whose  stream 
anciently  brought  gold  with  its 
current;  from  whence  Croesus 
and  his  ancestors,  amassed  their 
riches:  but  now  these  springs 
of  gold  have  failed.  The 
rivers,  Pactolus  and  Hylas,  fall 
into  the  Hermus,  and   empty 


SAR 


SAR 


themselves  into  the  Phocian 
Sea,  now  called  Fogia,  or 
rather  Fochia.  But  whatever 
this  city  was  in  former  days,  it 
is  now  only  a  poor  habitation 
of  shepherds,  living  in  low  and 
humble  cottages;  yet  the  ancient 
pillars  and  ruins  lift  up  their 
heads  as  unwilling  to  lose  the 
memory  of  their  ancient  glory. 
However,  here  is  a  large  cara- 
vansary, where  there  are  hand- 
some lodgings  for  travellers;  it 
lying  on  the  great  road  from 
Smyrna  to  Aleppo,  and  the 
Turks  have  a  mosque,  formerly 
a  Christian  church.  There  are 
also  a  few  Christians,  who 
drag  out  their  life  in  miserable 
seivitude,  having  neither 
church,  priest,  nor  any  Chris- 
tian privileges.  So  fatal  are 
the  threatenings  of  God  against 
sin.  While  she  had  the  name 
of  being  alive  she  was  dead. 
Her  divine  Judge  therefore  said 
to  her,  "I  will  come  on  thee  as 
a  thief,"  to  ruin  and  destroy, 
"and  thou  shalt  not  know  what 
hour  I  will  come."  Sudden 
was  their  destruction,  by  a  ter- 
rible earthquake. 

This  city  is  seated  at  the 
foot  of  mount  Tmolus,  as  Stra- 
bo  has  well  described  it.  The 
castle,  which  is  erected  on  a 
high  and  steep  mountain,  is 
almost  inaccessible.  But  be- 
ing on  the  top,  there  appears 
the    most   pleasant    prospect 


says  Sir  Paul  Rycaut,  that  ev- 
er my  eyes  beheld,  to  which 
the  Pactolus  gives  a  wonder- 
ful embellishment,  which  turns 
and  winds  so  delightfully 
through  the  plains,  watering  all, 
parts  so  as  to  make  that  coun- 
try fertile  and  rich,  and  from 
thence  might  occasion  the  sav- 
ing, that  the  Pactolus  ran  with 
golden  streams.  To  the  south 
of  the  town  are  extensive  ru- 
ins, which  show  what  Sardis 
was  before  earthquakes  produ- 
ced its  present  desolation. 
East  of  the  castle,  are  the  ruins 
of  a  great  church,  the  wor- 
shippers were  insincere  and 
wicked;  they  are  gone,  but  the 
walls  remain  in  mournful  soli- 
tude. Northerly  are  seen  oth- 
er vast  ruins.  Sardis  is  70 
miles  E.  from  Smyrna.  Lat. 
38,  44,  N.  Long.  28,  30,  E. 
Dr.  Smith,  &?<?. 
'  SAREPTA.  See  Zarcp- 
hath. 

SARID,  a  city  in  the  tribe 
of  Zebulon,  Joshua  xix,  10. 
Lat.  32,43. 

SCYTHIANS,  an  ancient 
people  inhabiting  the  northern 
parts  of  Asia,  and  some  of  the 
north-eastern  parts  of  Europe. 
They  are  now  called  Tartars  or 
Tatars.  This  vast  territory, 
which  extends  itself  from  the 
Ister  or  Danube,  the  boundary 
of  (he  Celts,  that  is,  from  about 
the  25th,  to  almost  the  1 10th 


SCY 


SCY 


decree  of  east  longitude,  was 
div  i  led  into  Scythia  in  Europe, 
and  Scjthia  in  Asia,  including, 
however,  the  two  Sarmatias; 
or  as  they  are  called  by  the 
Greeks,  Sauromatos,  now  the 
Circassian  Tartary.  which  lay 
between,  and  severed  the  two 
Scythias  from  each  other.  Sau- 
rpmatia,  was  also  distinguished 
into  European  and  Asiatic;  and 
was  divided  from  European 
Scythia  by  the  river  Don  or 
Tanais,  which  falls  into  the  Pa- 
lus  Meotis;  and  from  the 
Asiatic,  by  the  Rha,  or  Volga, 
which  empties  itself  into  the 
Caspian  sea. 

1.  The  Asiatic  Scythia  com- 
prehended in  general,  great 
Tartary,  and  Russia  in  Asia; 
and  in  particular,  the  Scythia 
beyond  or  without  Imaus,  con- 
tained the  regions  of  Bogdoi, 
Ostiacoi,  and  Tanguti.  That 
within,  or  on  this  side  Tmaus, 
had  Turkestan,  and  Mongal, 
the  Usbeck  or  Zagatia,  Kalmuc, 
and  Nugaian  Tartars;  besides 
Siberia,  the  land  of  the  Samoi- 
edes,  and  Nova  Zembla. 
These  three  last  not  being  so 
soon  inhabited  as  the  former, 
as  maybe  reasonably  supposed, 
were  wholly  unknown  to  the 
ancients;  and  the  former  were 
peopled  by  the  Bactrians,  Sog- 
dians,  Gundari,  Sacks,  and 
Massagetes.  As  for  Sarmar- 
lia,  it  contained  Albania,  Iberia, 


and  Colchis,  which  makes  now 
the  Circassian  Tartary,  and  the 
province  of  Georgia. 

2.  Scythia  in  Europe  reach- 
ed (towards  the  south-west)  to 
the  Po,  and  the  Alps,  by  which 
it  was  divided  from  Celto-Gal- 
lia.  It  was  bounded  on  the 
south  by  the  Ister  or  Danube, 
and  the  Euxine  sea.  Its  north- 
ern limits  have  been  supposed 
to  stretch  to  the  spring  heads 
of  the  Boristenes  or  Nieper,  and 
the  Rha  or  Volga,  and  so  to 
that  of  the  Tanais.  The  an- 
cients divided  this  country  into 
Scythia  Amrimaspcea,  which 
lay  eastward,  joining  to  Scythia 
in  Asia,  and  Sarmatia  Europe- 
ana  in  the  west.  In  Scythia, 
properly  so  called,  were  the 
Amrimaspoea  on  the  north;  the 
Getce  or  Dacians  along  the  Da- 
nube, on  the  south,  on  the  Nc- 
uri,  between  these  two.  So  that 
it  contained  the  European  Rus- 
sia, or  Muscovy,  and  the  Les- 
ser Crim  Tartary,  eastward; 
and  on  the  west,  Lithuania,  Po- 
land, part  of  Hungary,  part  of 
Transilvania,  Walachia,  Bul- 
garia, and  Moldavia.  Sarmatia 
is  supposed  to  have  reached 
northward  to  that  part  of 
Swedeland,  called  Feningia, 
now  Finland;  in  which  they 
place  the  Ocenes,  Panoti,  and 
Hippopodes.  This  part  they 
divided  from  northern  Germa- 
ny, now  the  west  part  of  S.,:e- 


SCY 


SCY 


•len  and  Norway,  by  the  Mare 
Sarmaticum  or  Scytlucum, 
which  they  supposed  run  up 
into  the  northern  ocean,  and  di- 
viding Lapland  into  two  parts, 
formed  the  western  part  ol  Swe- 
den, with  Norway,  into  one 
island,  and  Finland  into  another; 
supposing  this  also  to  be  cut 
off  from  the  continent  by  the 
gulph  of  that  name. 

Although  the  ancient  Scvthi- 
ans,  were  celebrated  as  a  war- 
like people,  yet  their  history  is 
too  uncertain  and  obscure  to 
enable  us  to  give  any  detail, 
which  would  not  prove  equally 
tiresome  and  uninteresting  to 
the  reader.  Mr.  Pinkerton  in 
his  dissertation  on  their  origin, 
endeavors  to  prove,  that  they 
were  the  most  ancient  of  na- 
tions; and  he  assigns  for  the 
place  of  their  first  habitation, 
the  country  known  by  the  name 
of  Persia.  From  Persia  he 
thinks  they  proceeded  in  nu- 
merous herds  westward,  sur- 
rounded the  Euxine,  peopled 
Germany,  Italy,  Gaul,  the 
countries  bordering  on  the  Bal- 
tic, with  part  of  Britain  and 
Ireland.  That  the  Scythians 
were  of  Asiatic  origin,  cannot 
we  think,  be  questioned;  and  as 
Persia  was  peopled  at  a  very 
early  period,  it  may  not  im- 
probably have  been  their  par- 
ent country;  but  when  our  au- 
thor contends  that  their  empire 


had  subsisted  for  more  than 
15U0  years  before  Ninus,  the 
founder  of  the  Assyrian  mon- 
archy, and  that  it  extended  from 
Egypt  to  the  Ganges,  and  from 
the  Persian  gull  and  Indian 
sea,  to  the  Caspian,  we  cannot 
help  thinking  that  his  prejudi- 
ces against  the  Celts,  and  his 
desire  to  do  honor  to  his  favor- 
ite Goths,  have  made  him  ad- 
vance a  paradox  inconsistent 
with  the  most  authentic  re- 
cords of  antiquity.  These  bar- 
barians offered  sacrifices,  and 
even  human  victims  on  their 
cruel  altars;  though  we  scarce- 
ly ought  to  cali  them  barbari- 
ans merely  on  this  account.  It 
is  a  remarkable  fact,  supported 
by  all  history,  that  saciifices 
have  been  offered,  as  acts  of 
religious  worship  in  all  parts  of 
the  world.  As  far  back  as  we 
can  trace  the  records  of  nations, 
these  devout  sacrifices  have 
been  offered  from  Japan  to 
Mexico,  from  Lapland  to  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope.  From 
offering  articles  of  food,  things 
most  useful,  and  also  those 
most  valued,  as  luxuries,  deli- 
cacies and  aromatics,  the  tran- 
sition was  made  to  their  own 
species,  their  criminals,  their 
captives,  their  slaves,  and  final- 
ly to  their  children,  and  dearest 
friends.  The  idea  obtained 
general  currency,  that  tie  more 
precious  the  offering,  the  more 


SCY 


SCY 


acceptable  it  was  to  the  deity. 
Hence  in  many  instances  per- 
sons have  been  induced  to  offer 
themselves  in  sacrifice.  The 
sacrifice  of  human  beings  has 
been  as  universal,  as  other 
things.  The  Magi  of  Persia, 
and  the  Druids  of  Europe, 
stained  their  altars  with  human 
blood.  The  queen  of  Xerxes 
caused  fourteen  boys  of  the  no- 
blest families  in  Persia  to  be 
buried  alive,  a  sacrifice  to  "the 
infernal  gods."  The  Scythians 
sacrificed  to  Mars  one  out  of 
every  hundred  of  the  captives, 
whom  they  took  in  war.  In 
the  island  of  Ceylon,  and  the 
whole  region  of  the  Indies, 
human  sacrifices  were  com- 
mon. In  the  land  of  Canaan 
the  altars  of  Moloch  were  stain- 
ed with  human  blood.  In  Gaul 
they  enclosed  men  in  a  kind  of 
wicker-work,  and  then  burned 
them  in  honor  of  their  gods. 
The  banks  of  the  Nile  drank 
the  blood  of  human  victims, 
which  were  offered  in  sacrifice 
upon  extraordinary  occasions; 
the  Romans  offered  their  chil- 
dren on  their  country's  altars. 
Marius  sacrificed  his  own 
daughter.  The  same  custom 
prevailed  in  Greece.  Themis- 
tocles  sacrificed  three  women 
to  Bacchus.  A  daughter  was 
offered  on  the  altar  by  a  king 
of  Athens.  The  Carthagenians 
not  onlv  immolated  their  own 


children  in  hundreds;  but  in 
times  of  calamity  themselves 
also.  On  the  islands  lately  dis- 
covered in  the  South  sea,  their 
sacred  places  are  cumbered 
with  the  skulls  of  men  offered 
to  evil  spirits.  In  Peru  they 
tied  a  living  man  to  a  stake, 
pulled  his  flesh  from  his  bones 
in  small  pieces,  broiled,  and  eat 
it  before  his  eyes.  In  Terra- 
firma,  they  also  honored  their 
deities  with  offerings  of  human 
blood.  In  Mexico  they  annu- 
ally sacrificed  twenty  thousand 
men.  The  aborigines  of  Can- 
ada, Virginia,  and  New  Eng- 
land, sometimes  offered  their 
captives  in  sacrifice  to  their  mar- 
tial deities.  In  the  time  of 
Julius  Caesar,  the  Britons  con- 
structed hollow  images;  these 
they  filled  with  human  beings, 
whom  they  burned  alive.  So 
remarkable  were  they  for  this 
abomination,  that  even  the  Ro- 
mans forbid  them  the  exercise 
of  their  religion.  Since  the 
above  was  compiled,  "Lectures 
on  the  evidence  of  Divine  Rev- 
elation" have  been  published4 
written  by  one  of  the  most 
learned  men  of  the  present  age, 
from  which  it  appears,  that  the 
following  nations  of  Asia  offer- 
ed human  sacrifices,  viz."  the 
Hindoos,  Persians,  Mas^age- 
tae,  Scythians,  Arabians,  loni- 
ans,  people  of  Tenedos,  Rho- 
dians,      Syrians,      Chaldeans^ 


6CY 

Babylonians,  Albanians,  Sar- 
matians,  nations  of  Canaan, 
Jews,  in  the  latter  times  of  their 
nation,  people  of  Dumah,  or 
Idumea,  Phoenicians,  Laodice- 
ans,  Blemyans.  Taurians,  and 
Neurians;  in  Europe  by  the 
ancient  stales  of  Greece;  par- 
ticularly Messene,  the  Pelasgi, 
the  people  of  Lacedaemon,  At- 
tica, Phocea,  Chios,  Lesbos, 
S:ilamis,  Crete,  Cyprus,  the 
Celtae,  who  inhabit  Biitain, 
Gaul,  Switzerland,  the  north 
of  Italy,  Spain,  and  the  north- 
ern parts  of  Thrace,  the  Thra- 
cians,  Tauric  Chersonesians, 
Massilians,  Germans,  Romans, 
Norwegians,  Swedes,  Danes, 
the  Getae,  Scottish  islanders, 
Icelanders:  In  Africa,  by  the 
Egyptians,  Carthaginians,  in- 
habitants of  the  Canary  Isles, 
nations  of  Guinea;  and  in  A- 
merica,  by  the  Mexicans,  and 
Peruvians. 

To  this  I  shall  subjoin  a  k\v 
remarks. 

The  writers  testifying  to  the 
fact  of  human  sacrifices,  are 
Cicero,  Ennius,  Livy,  Pliny, 
'Tacitus,  Seneca,  Lucan,  Silius 
Italicus,  Ccesar,  Porphyry, 
Sanchoniathon.  Manetho,  the 
author  of  the  Ayeen  Akberry, 
&c.  8cc.  Pliny  observes,  that 
the  people  of  Marseilles,  when 
a  distinct  state,  coincided  in 
offering  human  sacrifices,  with 
the  whole  world,  although  un- 
54 


SCY 

known  to  them*  and  differing 
from  them  in  other  respects. 
Sanchoniathon  declares,  that 
from  the  earliest  times  princes 
and  magistrates  offered  human 
victims,  particularly  their  own, 
dearest  children.  This  custom, 
is  directly  recognised  in  the 
question  of  Balak,  king  of  Ma- 
ad,  to  Balaam,  recorded  by  the 
prophet  Micah:  Shall  I  give 
my  first  born  for  my  trangres- 
sion;  the  fruit  of  my  body  far 
the  sin  of  my  soul? 

The  general  testimony  of 
Hindoo,  Persian,  Roman,  and 
Greek  writers  on  this  subject, 
declares,  that  sacrifices  were 
chiefly  expiatory.  The  Scan- 
dinavians held,  that  it  was  es- 
sential to  their  prosperity  to 
offer  human  sacrifices;  and  be- 
lieved human  victims  to  be 
more  auspicious  than  any  other; 
particularly  victims  of  the 
blood  royal.  Many  nations  se- 
lected their  victims:  as  the 
Egyptians,  Phoenicians,  Ro- 
mans, Scandinavians,  Albani- 
ans, Britons,  Carthag'mians, £sfc. 

The  Albanians  chose  the  best 
men  of  their  nation,  and  the 
Egyptians,  the  handsomest. 

The  Romans  sacrificed  an- 
nually, a  male  and  female  Gaul, 
and  a  male  and  female  Greek, 

The  Tauric  Chersonesians, 
sacrificed  to  Diana  every  stran- 
ger, whom  chance  threw  on 
their  coast. 


SCY 


SEA 


The  Lacedamonians  whip- 
ped their  boys  to  death  to  Di- 
ana Orthia. 

Aristomenes,  the  Messenian, 
sacrificed  300  Lacedamonians 
at  once  to  Jupiter. 

The  Carthaginians  offered 
up  in  a  single  sacrifice,  300 
young  noblemen. 

The  Peruvians  offered  the 
same  number  in  their  yearly 
sacrifice. 

The  Hindoos  and  Egyptians, 
had  large  and  expensive  cavern 
temples,  consecrated  to  this 
dreadful  service. 

The  people  of  various  parts 
of  Guinea,  still  offer  human 
victims,  as  do  also  the  Hindoos , 
and  several  other  nations. 

From  these  facts,  it  is  abun- 
dantly evident,  that  the  custom 
of  sacrifices,  was  coeval  with 
mankind,  that  nations  most  re- 
mote, who  held  no  intercourse, 
united  in  this  rite;  that,  there- 
fore, sacrifices  must  have  been 
revealed  to  mankind,  as  a  reli- 
gious duty;  but  the  blood  of 
animals  do  not  "take  away  sin," 
therefore,  this  must  have  been 
a  topical  service,  having  refer- 
ence to  Jesus  Christ,  who  has 
made  propitiation  for  the  sins 
of  the  world.  This  sheds  a 
gospel  splendor,  on  the  cere- 
monies of  the  Mosaic  dispen- 
sation. 

SCYTHOPOLIS.  See 
Bethshan.     Lat.  32,  17. 


SEA  OF  EGYPT,  men. 
tioned  in  Isaiah  xi,  15,  means 
that  part  of  the  Mediterranean 
that  waters  the  coast  of  Egypt. 

SEA,  tongue  of  the,  a  bay 
or  arm  of  the  sea;  the  Hebrews 
and  Arabians  call  that  a  tongue 
of  the  sea,  which  runs  into  the 
land;  as  we  call  that  a  tongue 
or  neck  of  land,  that  advances 
into  the  sea.  See  Josh,  xv,  5; 
xviii,    19;  Isa.  xi,  15. 

Sea,  The  Great.  The 
Great  Sea,  the  Western  Sea, 
the  Hindermost  Sea,  the  Sea  of 
the  Philistines,  generally  denote 
the  Mediterranean,  which  lay 
westerly  from  the  Land  of 
Promise. 

This  sea  bursts  forth  from 
the  great  Atlantic,  and  spreads 
its  waters  between  Europe,  A- 
sia,  and  Africa,  giving  these 
three  great  sections  of  the  globe, 
an  extensive  maritime  border. 
The  Mediterranean  has  justly 
been  pre-eminent,  for  having 
presented  on  its  shores  the  first 
displays  of  civilization  and  the 
arts,  in  Africa  and  Europe,  if 
not  in  Asia.  Had  Africa  from 
the  west  been  penetrated  with 
such  an  inland  sea, Carthage  and 
Egypt  would  have  seen  other 
rivals  in  those  sciences,  which 
elevate  and  embellish  human 
life.  Instead  of  wandering 
hordes  of  idle  savages,  the  prey 
of  American  slave  ships,  the 
blessings   of  industry  and  xhr. 


SEA 


SEA 


comforts  of  security  would  have 
improved  those  miserable  re- 
p-ions. The  showers  of  heaven 
would  have  enriched  their  soil, 
the  din  of  business  would  have 
cheered  their  cities  and  vil- 
lages, and  the  sails  of  commerce 
have  whitened  their  waters. 
The  pillars  of  Hercules,  or  the 
rock  of  Abyla,  now  called  Ceu- 
ta  or  Kalpe  in  Spain, or  the  more 
celebrated  Gibraltar,  mark  the 
western  point  of  the  Mediterra- 
nean. Its  length  to  its  fur- 
thest extremity  in  Syrians  2000 
miles;  but  in  the  ancient  maps 
the  length  was  extended  2500 
miles,  hence  all  the  old  maps 
place  the  towns  of  Palestine 
several  degrees  further  east  than 
our  modern  geographies.  On 
the  northern  side  of  this  sea, 
open  two  immense  gulfs,  that 
of  Venice  and  the  Archipelago; 
the  former  being  the  Adriatic, 
and  the  latter  the  Egean  sea  of 
the  ancients.  From  this  last,  a 
strait,  called  the  Hellespont, 
leads  to  the  sea  of  Marmora, 
the  classical  Propontis;  and 
another,  now  styled  the  strait 
of  Constantinople,  the  ancient 
Thracian  Bosphorus,  leading 
to  the  Euxine,  or  Black  sea, 
which  to  the  north,  presents 
the  shallow  Palus  Masotis, 
or  sea  of  Azof,  the  utmost 
maritime  limit  of  Europe  in 
that  quarter.  This  wide  ex- 
panse of  the  Mediterranean  is 


beautifully  sprinkled  with  isl- 
ands, and  environed  with  opu- 
lent coasts,  abounding  with  the 
most  sublime  ana  picturesque 
features  of  nature.  Tides  are 
not  perceivable,  excepting  in 
the  narrowest  straits;  but  ac- 
cording to  physioligists  there  is 
a  current  along  the  Italian  shore, 
from  the  west  to  the  east,  and 
towards  the  African  coast  in 
an  opposite  direction.  In  the 
Adriatic  the  current  runs  north- 
west along  Dalmatia,  and  re-  # 
turns  by  the  opposite  shore  of 
Italy. 

The  Mediterranean  abounds 
in  fish,  many  of  which  are  little 
known  in  more  northern  lati- 
tudes. The  chief  fisheries  arc 
those  of  the  tunny,  of  the  sword 
fish,  of  the  sea  dog,  a  species  ? 
of  shark,  and  of  the  diminutive 
anchovy.  It  is  also  the  chief 
seminary  of  coral,  now  discov- 
ered to  be  the  work  of  marine 
insects.  This  supposed  plant 
is  of  three  colors,  the  red,  the 
vermillion,  and  the  white;  its 
greatest  height  is  about  eleven 
inches.  It  is  equally  hard  in 
the  water  and  in  the  air,  and  is 
generally  brought  up  by  a  kind 
of  net  from  the  depth  of  60  or 
125  feet.  The  sea  of  Azof  is 
polluted  with  mud,  and  united 
to  the  Euxine  by  the  strait 
of  Caffa,  the  ancient  Cimme- 
rian Bosphorus.  The  Medi- 
terranean, the  eastern  part  of 


SEl 


SEL 


which,  bordering  on  Asia,  is 
often  called  the  Levant,  is  from 
80  to  500  miles  broad.  Long. 
6,  west,  to  36,  30,  east.  Lat. 
31,  to  44,  north. 

Pinker  ton,  Gazetteer. 

SEC  AC  AH,  a  city  of  Ca- 
naan, belonging  to  the  .tribe  of 
Judah,  Josh,  xv,  61.  It  was 
situate  at  the  southern  limit  of 
this  tribe,  and  in  the  desert. 
Lat.  21.  22. 

SEIR,  mountains  of^  are  to 
*  the  east  and  south  of  the  Dead 
Sea.  Moses  says,  Deut.  ii,  1, 
that  there  were  eleven  days 
journey  between  Horeb  and 
JCadesh  barnea,  by  the  way  of 
S.ir;  or  rather  pong  round 
the  mountains  of  Seir.  Debo- 
rah, in  her  canticle  says,  "that 
*  the  Lord  is  come  forth  from 
Seir,"  Judges  v,  4.  Moses  af- 
firms, Deut.  xxxiii,  2,  that  the 
Lord  appeared  to  his  people  at 
Seir,  and  Sinai,  and  at  Paran. 
This  proves  that  the  mountains 
of  Seir  were  to  the  south  of  the 
Dead  Sea,  inclining  towards 
Elath,  and  Ezion-geber,  upon 
the  Red  Sea.  Jacob  at  his  re- 
turn from  Mesopotamia,  fear- 
ing that  Esau  should  come  and 
set  upon  his  company,  sent  to 
him  at  Seir;  and  Esau  soon  af- 
ter came  to  meet  him  between 
Peniel  and  Jordan,  and  return- 
ed the  same  day  to  Seir,  Gen. 
xxxii,  3,  and  xxxiii,  16;  there- 
fore he  must  live  not  far  off  in 


the  mountains,  which  are  to  the 
east  of  the  Dead  Sea.  Josh,  xi, 
17,  and  xii,  7,  seems  to  say, 
that  they  stretched  out  still 
farther  towards  the  north,  since 
he  gives  an  account  that  he 
made  a  conquest  of  all  the  coun- 
try from  Seir  as  far  as  Baalgad, 
at  the  foot  of  Libanus,  and  of 
mount  Hermon;  and  that  he 
distributed  all  this  country  to 
the  children  of  Israel.  But 
it  is  known,  that  the  Is- 
raelites had  no  possessions 
beyond  the  country  of  Moab 
to  the  east,  or  the  south.  Last- 
ly, Moab  and  mount  Seir  are 
frequently  mentioned  together, 
2Chr.  xx,  10,  xxii,  23;  Ezek. 
xxv,  8,  but  Moab  inhabited  to 
the  east  of  the  Dead  Sea.  See 
Idumea.  Calmei's  Die. 

SEIR.  a  mountain  upon  the 
frontiers  of  the  tribes  of  Judah 
and  Dan,  Josh,  xv,  10.  Lat. 
30,  55. 

SEIRATH,  the  place  where 
Ehud  stopped, after  the  slaugh- 
ter of  Eglon.  It  was  probably 
near  Bethel,  Judg.  iii,  26. 

SELAH,  the  capital  of  the 
Edoiuites,  which  Ann.ziah  took 
in  war,  and  changed  its  name 
toJoktheel.  It  was  doubtless 
named  Selah  from  its  rocky 
situation,  and  if  it  was  the  Petra 
of  the  Arabs,  as  is  supposed, 
it  was  situated  on  a  plain,  sur- 
rounded by  lemarkable  rocks. 
After  taking  the  place,  Amy- 


SEM 


SEP 


ziah  cruelly  murdered  a  great 
part  of  the  people.  Isai.  xvi, 
1,  calls  on  the  people  of  Selah 
to  send  tribute  or  sacrifices  to 
Jerusalem,  the  daughter  of 
Zion. 

SELEUCIA,  a  city  of  Syria, 
situate  upon  the  Mediterrane- 
an, near  the  place,  where  the 
Orontcs  discharges  itself  into 
the  sea.  St.  Paul  and  St.  Bar- 
nabas arrived  at  Seleucia,  Acts 
xiii,  4,  where  they  embarked 
to  go  to  Cyprus.  This  is  the 
same  city  of  Seleucia,  which  is 
mentioned  in  the  first  book  of 
Maccabees  xi,  8,  where  it  is 
said,  that  Ptolemy  Philometer 
made  himself  master  of  all  the 
maritime  cities,  as  far  as  Se- 
leucia, which  is  upon  the  sea. 
Lat.  35,  40. 

SEMECHON,  or  Same- 
ciion,  a  lake  through  which 
the  Jordan  passes;  it  is  60  fur- 
longs in  length,  and  thirty 
broad.  Some  think,  this  lake 
is  called  in  Joshua,  the  waters 
of  Meroth;  or  the  upper  waters; 
and  in  Judges  v,  18,  the  canton 
of  Merome.  In  our  translation, 
the  high  places  of  the  field. 
But  we  think  Merom  to  be 
near  Dothaim,  and  far  enough 
from  Semechon.  The  lake  Se- 
mechon  must  be  pretty  near 
the  city  of  Dan,  and  the  foun- 
tains of  Jordan,  120  furlongs 
from  the  lake  of  Tiberias  south. 
Josephus  says,  that  the  marsh- 


es of  this  lake,  extended  even 
to  Daphne.  But  there  is  great 
probability  that  instead  of 
Daphne,  it  should  be  read 
Dane.,  for  he  says  in  the  same 
place  that  the  waters  of  Jordan 
fall  into  this  pool,  below  the 
temple  of  the  golden  calf.  Now 
the  temple  of  the  golden  calf 
was  at  Dan.  It  is  extraordi- 
nary that  this  lake  should  nev- 
er be  mentioned  in  scripture 
that  we  know  of.  It  is  thought 
Pliny  intended  this  lake,  when 
he  mentions  a  lake  150  fur- 
longs distant  from  the  Medi- 
terranean, not  far  from  Liba- 
nus,  where  the  sweet  scented 
reed  grows. 

SENAAH,  or  Hasenaah, 
a  city  of  Canaan,  of  whose  peo- 
ple 3630  returned  from  the 
Babylonish  captivity  with  Ez- 
ra ii,  35. 

SEPHAR,  a  mountain  of 
the  east,  probably  about  Ar- 
menia. The  sons  of  Joktan 
had  their  duelling  from  Me- 
sha,  "As  thou  goest  unto  Se- 
phar,  a  mount  of  the  East." 
Gen.  x,  29.  Calmet  believes 
these  mountains  to  have  been 
the  dwelling  of  the  Stpharva- 
im,  of  which  mention  is  made 
in  scripture,  and  of  the  Saph- 
irCs,  of  whom  geographers 
speak.  But  Bocharr  and  San- 
son place  this  mountain  in  A- 
rabia.     Lat.  21,30. 

SEPHARVAIM.     When 


SEP 


SEP 


Salmanezer,  king  of  Assyria 
carried  away  the  Israelites  from 
the  kinsrdom  of  Samaria  to 
places  beyond  the  Euphrates, 
he  brought  other  people  in  their 
stead  into  Palestine,  among 
whom  were  the  Sepharvaims, 
2  Kings  xvii,  24,  31.  It  is  not 
exactiy  known  where  was  the 
place  of  their  former  habitation. 
Some  pretend,  they  inhabited 
the  city  of  Siphera,  or  the  city 
of  the  Sipharenians,  upon  the 
Euphrates.  We  think  their 
dwellings  to  have  been  in  the 
mountains  of  Sephar,  of  which 
mention  is  made,  Gen.  x,  29, 
and  that  the  Saspires,  who  ac- 
cording to  Herodotus,  were 
the  only  people  that  inhabited 
between  the  Colchians  and  the 
Medes,  are  the  same  as  the 
Sepharvaims  of  the  scripture. 
See  Sephar, 

The  scripture  speaks  of  the 
king  of  the  city  of  Sepharvaim, 
Isa.  xxxvii,13;  2Kings  xix,  13, 
which  probably  was  the  capital 
ofthepeopleofthis  name;  and  the 
king  of  Sepharvaim  is  no  oth- 
er than  the  God  of  these  peo- 
ple. Tiiis  appears  pretty  plainly 
from  comparing  these  passages, 
2  Kings  xviii,  34,  "VVhere  are 
the  gods  of  Hamath  and  of 
Arpad?  Where  are  the  gods 
of  Sepharvaim,  Hena,  and  I- 
vah?"  and  elsewhere,  Isai. 
x:-  xvii,  13;  2  Kings  xix,  13, 
"Where  is  the  king   of   Ha- 


math, and  the  king  of  Arpad, 
and  the  king  of  the  city  of  Se- 
pharvaim, of  Hena,  and  Ivah?" 
Lastly,  it  is  said,  2  Kings  xvii, 
30,  "The  Sepharvites  burnt 
their  children  in  the  fire  to  A- 
drammelech  andAnammelech, 
the  gods  of  Sepharvaim." 
There  is  therefore  great  prob- 
ability that  Hena  and  Ivah  are 
the  same  as  Anammelech  and 
Adrammelech,  the  gods  of  the 
Sepharvites.  But  Anamme- 
lech apparently  stands  for  the 
moon,  and  Adrammelech  for 
the  sun.  The  first  word  signi- 
fies merciful  King,  and  the  sec- 
ond magnificent  King.  The  O- 
rientals  gave  to  the  moon  the 
name  of  God  and  King.  Cal- 
mefs  Diet.  These  people  were 
partly  destroyed  by  the  Assyr- 
ians,and  the  residue  were  trans- 
planted to  the  country  of  the 
ten  tribes. 

SEPHORIS,  a  famous  city 
of  Zebulon,  and  the  capital  of 
Galilee;  afterwards  named  Di- 
ocesarea.  The  Jews  place  it 
eighteen  miles  from  Tiberias, 
though  others  say,  but  ten 
miles.  It  was  not  far  from 
Tabor  and  the  great  plain. 
I  do  not  find  it  in  Joshua,  or 
in  the  sacred  authors;  but  Jo- 
sephus  often  speaks  of  it.  He 
says,  than  Gabinius  placed  here 
one  of  his  five  tribunals;  that 
Siphoris  was  in  the  midst  of 
Judea;  that  it  was  the  largest 


SEP 


SEP 


and  best  city  in  the  country, 
and  that  it  became  its  capital, 
after  Nero  had  given  Galilee 
to  the  younger  Agrippa;  that 
mount  Asamon  is  pretty  near 
Sephoris,  which  is,  as  it  were, 
the  centre  of  Galilee.  The 
first  city  of  Galilee,  that  one 
came  to  from  Ptolemais  was 
Sephoris. 

SEPULCHRE  OF  DA- 
VID. Josephus  relates,  that 
Solomon  put  abundance  of 
riches  into  David's  monument; 
and  that  thirteen  hundred  years 
after,  Hircanus  being  besieged 
in  Jerusalem  by  Antiochus  Pi- 
us, and  not  knowing  where  to 
get  money  to  induce  this  prince 
to  raise  the  siege,  he  opened 
David's  sepulchre,  and  took 
out  three  thousand  talents.  He 
adds,  that  Herod  the  Great,hav- 
ing  once  more  searched  this 
monumentjtook  great  sums  out 
of  it.  David's  monument  was 
always  much  respected  by  the 
Jews.  St.  Peter  tells  them, 
Acts  ii,  29,  that  his  sepulchre 
was  still  among  them;  the 
heathens  themselves  knew  it; 
and  Dio  informs  us,  that  part 
of  this  mausoleum  fell  down, 
in  the  reign  of  the  emperor 
Adrian.  The  following  is  the 
description  that  curious  travel- 
lers give  of  this  edifice,  which 
now  is  without  the  walls  of  Je- 
rusalem, b^t  probably  was  then 
included  within  the  walls.  You 


first  enter  into  a  large  court, 
about  26  feet  square,  cut  out: 
and  smoothed  within  the  rock, 
which  is  of  marble.  On  the 
left  hand  is  a  gallery,  cut  out 
of  the  rock  likewise,  as  are  also 
the  pillars  that  support  it.  At 
the  end  of  the  gallery  there  is  a 
little  opening  through  which 
you  pass,  by  creeping  upon  the 
ground,  to  go  into  a  large 
chamber  of  about  24  feet 
square,  round  about  which 
there  are  other  smaller  cham- 
bers, which  communicate  one 
with  another,  by  doors  of  stone. 
The  ceiling,  the  doors,  as  well 
as  the  rest,  their  hinges,  their 
posts,  their  frames,  &c.  are  all 
out  of  the  same  rock,  which  is 
justly  looked  upon  as  a  wond- 
er; for  the  doors  were  never 
out  of  their  present  places,  nor 
brought  from  elsewhere;  they 
were  worked  before  the  cham- 
bers, and  they  still  adhere  to 
the  same  rock,  out  of  which 
they  were  wrought.  In  the 
sides  of  the  small  chambers 
now  mentioned  are  several 
niches,  within  which  the  bodies 
of  the  kings  are  deposited  in 
stone  coffins.  This  work,  which 
was  the  burying  places  of  the 
kings  of  Judah,  is  perhaps  the 
only  real  one  that  now  remains 
of  ancient  Jerusalem. 

SEPULCHRE,  or  tomb  of 
our  LORD  JESUS  CHRIST, 
This  wss  upon  mount  Calvary, 


SEP 


SEP 


to  the  north-west  of  Jerusalem, 
John  xix,  41,  and  was  hewn 
out  of  a  rock,  as  the  gospel  in- 
forms us.  It  is  a  kind  of  small 
chamber,  almost  square  within; 
its  height  from  bottom  to  top 
eight  feet  and  an  inch,  and  its 
breadth  fifteen  feet  and  ten 
inches.  The  entrance,  which 
looks  towards  the  east,  is  but 
four  feet  high,  and  two  feet 
four  inches  wide:  this  door  was 
shut  up  by  a  stone  cut  out  of  the 
same  rock:  it  was  to  this  stone 
the  chief  priests  affixed  their 
seal,  and  this  the  holy  women 
doubted  whether  they  had 
strength  to  remove,  Mark  xvi, 
3,  "Who  shall  roll  us  away  the 
stone  from  the  door  of  the  se- 
pulchre?" Lastly,  it  was  upon 
this  same  stone,  that  the  angel 
sat  down,  after  Jesus  Christ  had 
left  the  tomb,  Matt,  xxviii,  2. 
The  place  where  the  body  of 
our  Savior  was  laid,  takes  up 
the  whole  of  one  side  of  this 
cave;  it  is  a  stone  raised  from 
the  •?]  ound  to  the  height  of  two 
feet  four  inches,  its  length  is 
five  feet  eleven  inches,  placed 
lengthwise  from  east  to  west. 
It  remains  even  to  this  day, 
but  all  encrusted  with  a  white 
marble.  But  this  interesting 
spot  deserves  a  more  minute 
description,  which  I  shall  give 
from  an  entertaining  and  in- 
structive writer.  Mount  Cal- 
vary is  honored  with  a  church, 


called  the  Church  of  the  Seput 
chre,  as  being  built  over  the 
place  where  our  Lord's  sepul- 
chre was.  It  is  less  than  one 
hundred  paces  long,  and  not 
more  than  sixty  wide;  and  yet, 
it  is  supposed  to  contain  under 
its  roof  twelve  or  thirteen  sanc- 
tuaries, or  places  consecrated 
to  a  more  than  ordinary  vener- 
ation, by  being  reputed  to  have 
had  some  particular  actions 
done  in  them  relating  to  the 
death  and  resurrection  of  Christ. 
As  first,  the  place  where  he  was 
derided  by  the  soldiers:  sec- 
ondly, where  the  soldiers  di- 
vided his  garments:  thirdly, 
where  he  was  shut  up,  whilst 
they  digged  the  hole,  to  set  the 
foot  of  the  cross  in,  and  made 
ready  for  his  crucifixion:  fourth- 
ly, where  he  was  nailed  to  the 
cross:  fifthly,  where  the  cross 
was  erected:  sixthly,  where  the 
soldier  stood  that  pierced  his 
side:  seventhly,  where  his  body 
was  anointed,  in  order  to  his 
burial:  eighthly,  where  his  body 
was  deposited  in  the  sepulchre: 
ninthly,  where  the  angels  ap- 
peared to  the  women  after  his 
resurrection:  tenthly,  where 
Christ  himself  appeared  to  Ma- 
ry Magdalene,  &c.  The  pla- 
ces where  these  and  many  oth- 
er things  relating  to  our  blessed 
Lord,  are  said  to  have  been 
done,  are  all  supposed  to  be 
contained   within   the   narrow 


SEP 


3EP 


precincts  of  this  church,  and 
are  all  distinguished  and  adorn- 
ed with  so  many  several  altars. 
In  galleries  round  about  the 
church,  are  also  little  buildings 
annexed  to  it;  on  tlie  outoide, 
are  apartments  for  the  re- 
ception of  friars  and  pilgrims; 
and  in  those  places  almost  ev- 
ery Christian  nation  anciently 
maintained  a  small  society  of 
monks,  each  society  having  its 
proper  quarter  assigned  it,  by 
the  Turks:  such  as  the  Latins, 
Greeks,  Syrians,  Armenians, 
Abyssinians,  Georgians,  Nes- 
torians,  Maronites,  &c.  But  all 
these,  except  four,  have  for- 
saken their  quarters,  not  being 
able  to  sustain  the  severe  rents 
and  extortions,  which  their 
Turkish  landlords  impose  upon 
them.  The  Latins,  Gretks, 
Armenians,  Cophtites,  keep  a 
feeble  footing  still;  but  it  is 
supposed,  they  are  hastening 
apace  to  follow  the  example  of 
their  brethren.  Besides  their 
several  apartments,  each  fra- 
ternity has  its  altars,  and  sanc- 
tuary distinctly  allotted  to  its 
own  use.  At  which  places 
they  have  a  peculiar  right  to 
perform  their  own  divine  ser- 
vice, and  to  exclude  other  na- 
tions. But  that  which  has  al- 
ready been  the  great  prize  con- 
tended for  by  the  Christians  of 
the  several  nations,  is  the  com- 
mand and  appropriation  of  the 
55 


holy  sepulchre,  a  privilege  con^ 
tested  with  much  warmth,  es* 
pecially  between  the  Greeks 
and  Latins.  For  putting  an 
end  to  the  quarrels  between  the 
several  sects  of  Christians,  the 
French  king,  Louis  XIV,  by 
a  letter  to  the  grand  vizier,  re- 
quested him  to  order  the  holy 
sepulchre  to  be  put  into  the 
hands  of  the  Latins,  according 
to  the  tenor  of  the  capitulation 
in  the  year  1673.  In  conse- 
quence, the  hoi)  sepulchre  was 
appropriated  to  the  Latins;  but 
this  was  not  accomplished  till 
the  year  1690,  since  which, 
only  the  Latins  have  the  privi- 
lege to  say  mass  in  it.  And 
though  it  be  permitted  to  Chris- 
tians of  all  nations  to  go  into  it 
for  their  private  devotions,  ye£ 
none  may  solemnize  any  pub- 
lic office  of  religion  there  but 
the  Latins. 

In  order  to  the  fitting  of  this 
hill  for  the  reception  of  a 
church,  the  first  founders  were 
obliged  to  reduce  it  to  a  plain 
area;  which  they  did,  by  cut-, 
ting  down  several  parts  of  the 
rock,  and  by  elevating  others- 
But  care  was  taken  that  none 
of  those  parts  of  the  hill,  which 
were  reckoned  to  be  more  im- 
mediately concerned  in  our 
blessed  Lord's  passion,  should 
be  altered  or  diminished.  That 
part  of  Calvary  where  they  say 
Christ   was    fastened   to,   and 


SEP 


SEP 


lifted  up  on  his  cross,  is  left 
entire,  standing  at  this  day 
eighteen  steps  above  the  com- 
mon floor  of  the  church.  And 
the  holy  sepulchre  itself,  which 
was  at  first  a  cave  hewn  into 
the  rock,  having  had  the  rock 
cut  away  from  it  all  round,  is 
now,  as  it  were,  a  grotto  above 
ground.  About  a  yard  and  a 
half  distant  from  the  hole  in 
which  the  foot  of  the  cross  was 
fixed,  is  seen  a  cleft  in  the 
rock,  said  to  have  been  made 
by  that  memorable  earthquake, 
which  happened  at  the  suffer- 
ing of  the  Redeemer,  when,  as 
St.  Matthew  xxvii,  51,  wit- 
nesseth,  the  rocks  rent  and  the 
graves  were  opened.  This  cleft 
as  to  what  now  appears  of  it, 
is  about  a  span  wide,  at  its  up- 
per part,  and  two  deep;  after 
which  it  closes:  but  it  opens 
again  below,  (as  you  may  see 
in  another  chapel  contiguous 
to  the  side  of  Calvary)  and 
runs  down  to  an  unknown 
depth  in  the  earth.  That  this 
rent  was  made  by  the  earth- 
quake which  happened  at  our 
Lord's  passion,  there  is  only 
tradition  to  prove:  but  that  it 
is  a  natural  and  genuine  breach, 
and  not  counterfeited  by  art, 
the  sense  and  reason  of  every 
one  who  sees  it,  may  convince 
him,  for  the  sides  of  it  fit  like 
two  tallies  to  each  other,  and 
vet  it  runs  in   such    intricate 


windings,  as  could  not  be 
counterfeited  by  art,  nor  reach- 
ed by  any  instrument.  It  is 
proper  here  to  speak  more  of 
that  very  stone,  laid  to  secure 
the  door  of  our  Savior's  sepul- 
chre. That  this  stone  was  to 
be  seen  in  the  fourth  century, 
both  St.  Cyril  and  St.  Jerome, 
who  lived  in  that  age,  inform 
us.  It  was  accordingly  kept 
for  a  Jong  time  in  the  church 
of  the  sepulchre;  but  the  Ar- 
menians stole  it  thence  by  a 
stratagem,  and  conveyed  it  to 
the  church  above  mentioned, 
where  Caiphas's  house  stood, 
which  as  Mr.  Maundrel  tells 
us,  is  two  yards  ancf  a  quarter 
long,  one  yard  high,  and  as 
much  broad.  It  is  plastered 
all  over,  except  in  five  or  six 
little  places,  where  it  is  left 
bare,  to  receive  the  kisses  and 
other  devotions  of  pilgrims. 

I  shall  close  this  account  of 
mount  Calvary  with  observing, 
that  it  was  a  tradition,  reported 
among  the  primitive  ChnsLians, 
that  the  first  as  well  as  the 
second  Adam  was  buried  here: 
and  much  more  credibly,  that 
this  was  the  place  where  Abra- 
ham sacrificed  his  son  Isaac; 
the  type  of  our  blessed  Savior. 

About  half  an  hours  travel 
from  Jerusalem  is  a  convent  of 
Greeks,  taking  its  name  from 
the  holy  cross.  This  convent 
is  very  neat  in   its  structure, 


SHA 


SHA 


and  its  situation  delightful. 
But  that  for  which  it  is  most 
noted,  is  the  occasion  of  its 
name  and  foundation.  It  is 
then,  because  here  is  'i.ie 
eaith,  that  nourished  the  root, 
that  bore  the  tree,  that  yielded 
the  timber,  that  made  tne 
cross.'  * 

SHAALABBIN,  a  city  of 
Palestine  in  the  tribe  of  Dan, 
Josh,  xix,  42.  It  joins  to  A- 
jaion  and  Heres,  Judg.  i,  35, 
and  t®  the  cities  of  Makaz  and 
Bethshemesh.     Lat.  31,  34. 

SHAALBON,  the  name  of 
a  place  in  Judea.  Shaalbon  is 
doubtless  the  same  as  Selbon 
beyond  Jordan.  This  must  be 
a  considerable  place,  since  Jo- 
sephus  takes  notice  of  it,  as 
giving  name  to  the  canton  Sel- 
benite,  which  limits  Perea  to- 
wards the  east,  with  Philadel- 
phia and  Gerar. 

SHAARAIM,  a  city  of  the 
tribe  of  Simeon,  1  Chron,  iv, 
31,  apparently  the  same  as 
Shaarim  or  Saarim,  of  the  tribe 
of  Judah,  Josh.  xv. 36.  Several 
of  the  cities  of  Judah  were  af- 
terwards yielded  up  to  the  tribe 
of  Simeon. 

SHAHAZIMAH,a  city  of 
Canaan  in  the  tribe  of  Issachar. 
Lat.  32,  37. 

SHALIM,  or  Salim,  See 
Salem,  and  1  Sam.  ix,  4,  where 
Shalem  may  stand  very  well 
for  Jerusalem. 


SHALISHA,  or  Salissa, 
or  Baal-salisha.  Mention 
is  made  of  Shalisha,  1  Sam.  ix, 
4,  and  of  Baalshalisha,  2  Kings 
iv,  42;  Shalisha  was  fifteen 
miles  from  Diospolis,  in  the 
canton  Thamnkica,  to  the 
north  of  Jerusalem. 

SHAMIR,  the  name  of  two 
cities,  one  in  the  tribe  of  Judah, 
Josh,  xv,  48;  and  another  in 
the  tribe  of  Ephraim,  and  in 
the  mountains  belonging  to 
this  tribe,  where  dwelt  Tola, 
the  judge  of  Israel,  Judg.  x,  1. 
SHAPHIR,  or  Sephir, 
Numb,  xxxiii,  23.  Mount 
Snaphir  was  one  of  the  en- 
campments of  the  Israelites  in 
the  desert,  between  Kehalathah 
and  Haradah. 

SHARAIM,  a  city  of  Ca- 
naan, belonging  to  the  tribe  of 
Judah,  Josh,  xv,  36,  &c. 

SHARON,  or  Saron,  there 
are  three  cantons  of  Palestine, 
known  by  the  name  of  Sharon. 
This  name  was  almost  become 
a  proverb,  to  express  a  place 
of  extraordinary  beauty  and 
fruitfulness.  See  Isai.  xxxiii, 
9,  and  xxxv,  2.  The  first, 
according  to  Eusebius  and  St. 
Jerome,  is  a  canton,  between 
mount  Tabor  and  the  sea  of 
Tiberias.  The  second,  a  can- 
ton between  the  city  of  Ccsa- 
rea  of  Palestine  and  Joppa. 
And  the  third,  a  canton  beyond 
Jordan,  in  the  country  of  Ba- 


SHA 


SHA 


san,  and  in  the  division  of  the 
tribe  of  Gad,  1  Chr.  v,  16.  Mr. 
Reland  maintains,  that  there 
was  no  Sharon  beyond  Jordan, 
and  that  those  of  the  tribe  of 
Gad  came  to  feed  their  flocks, 
as  far  as  the  canton,  that  lies  a- 
bout  Joppu,  Cassaria,  and  Lyd- 
da:  but  to  Calmet,  and  I  should 
think  to  every  one  else,  this 
seems  jr  credible,  because  of 
the  distance  of  the  places:  Be- 
sides this  country  of  Basan  it- 
seif  was  very  fine  and  fruitful. 
Modern  ti  a  sellers  give  this 
name  also  to  the  plain,  that  lies 
between  Ecdippa  and  Ptole- 
mais.  Sharon  was  noted  for 
its  roses  and  excellent  pastures. 
Sharon,  or  Lasharon, 
a  city  whose  king  was  taker 
and  slain  by  Joshua,  Josh,  xii, 
18.  St.  Luke,  in  the  Acts  ix, 
35,  seems  to  take  notice  of  a 
city  by  the  name  of  Sharon  or 
Saron,  and  in  the  Chronicles, 
1  Chr.  xxvii,  29,  we  find  one 
called  Shitrai  the  Sharonite, 
who  fed  his  flocks  in  Sharon. 
But  these  passages  may  well 
enough  be  supposed  to  stand 
for  a  country  or  canton,  and 
not  a  city  by  the  name  of 
Sharon. 

SHARUHEN,  or  Saro- 
hen,  a  city  of  the  tribe  of 
Simeon,  Josh,  xix,  6,  probably 
the  same  as  Sarahem.  Lat. 
31   27. 

SHAVEH,  or   Save,  the 


valley  of  Shaveh,  otherwise 
called  the  valley  of  the  King, 
Gen.  xiv,  17.  It  was  proba- 
bly near  Jerusalem;  because 
Melchisedec,  king  of  this  city, 
and  the  king  of  Gomorrah, 
came  to  meet  Abraham  at  his 
return  from  the  defeat  of  the 
five  kings,  as  far  as  the  valley 
of  Shaveh. 

SHAVEH-KIRJATHAIM. 
The  Emuns,  an  ancient  peo- 
ple beyond  Jordan,  dwelt  at 
Kirjathaim,  Gen.  xiv,  5.  Che- 
dorlaomer  and  his  confeder- 
ates defeated  them  the  same 
year  that  they  attacked  the  five 
kings  of  Pentapolis.  After- 
wards the  Moabites  drove  out 
the  Emims,  Deut.  ii,  10.  Cal- 
met  thinks  it  probable  that 
Shaveh-kiijathahn  was  a  plain 
near  the  city  of  Kirjathaim. 
See  Kirjathaim.  Lat.  31,  15. 
SHEBA.  Josephus  says, 
that  Sheba  was  the  ancient 
name  of  the  city  of  Meroe, 
before  Cambyses  gave  it  that 
of  his  sister,  and  that  it  was 
from  thence  the  queen  came, 
who  visited  Solomon,  1  Kings 
x,  1,  2,  &c.  and  2  Chr.  ix^l, 
2,  Sec.  The  Ethiopians  or 
Abyssinians  at  this  day  main- 
tain, that  this  princess  was  of 
their  country,  and  that  her  pos- 
terity reigned  there  for  a  long 
time.  The  Eunuch  of  queen 
Candace,  who  was  converted 
and  baptised  by  St.  Paul,  Acts 


*Uti 


SUB 


viii,  27,  was  an  officer  belong- 
ing to  a  princess  of  the  same 
country.       The    ancients    ac- 
knowledge, that  women  were 
used  to  govern  in  this  country. 
The  isle  of  Meroe  in  the  Nile 
is  sometimes  comprehended  in 
Ethiopia;  and  this  country,  as 
well  us  Egypt,  is  to  the  south 
of  Palestine.  Those  who  would 
have  this  princess  to  come  from 
Arabia,  rely,  first,  upon  the  gen- 
eral consent  of  all  the  world,  that 
there  are  Sabeans  and  Cushims, 
or  Ethiopians,  in  Arabia.  This 
princess  was  queen  of  Sheba, 
or  of  Cush  and  Ethiopia.   Sec- 
ondly Arabia  is  to  the  south 
of  Judea.    Thirdly,  this  coun- 
try, whereby  is  meant  Arabia 
Felix,  may  very  well  be  said 
to  be  at  the  uttermost  part  of 
the  world,  as  it  is  said  that  the 
queen  of    Sheba    came    from 
the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth, 
Mai.  xii,  42,  to  hear  the  wis- 
dom of  Solomon;  because  A- 
rabia  the  happy,  borders   up- 
on the  ocean  to  the  south;  and 
formerly  they  knew  no  land  be- 
yond it.      Terra  Jinesque,  qucs 
ad  orient  em    vergunt,    Arabia 
terminantur,      says     Tacitus. 
Fourthly,  Arabia  abounds    in 
gold,  silver,    spices,  and  pre- 
vious   stones,  which    are    the 
presents,    that    this     princess 
made  to  Solomon,  which  can- 
not be  conveniently  said  of  the 
isfand  of  Meroe.  And  if  popu- 


lar traditions  may  be  any  thing 
relied  on,  that  of  the  Arabians 
may  be  produced,  who  think 
that  queen  Balkis  came  out  of 
the  city  of  Sheba,  otherwise 
called  Marib  or  Mareb,  situated 
in  Yemen,  to  visit  Solomon.  On 
the  other  hand  the  Abyssinians 
boldly  maintain  that  the  queen  of 
Sheba  was  of  their  country,  and 
that  in  less  than  a  year  she  be- 
came a  mother  by  Solomon. 
When  this  child  was  of  an  age 
to  learn,  she  sent  him  to  Solo- 
mon to  be  instructed,  who  ed- 
ucated him  as  his  son.  He 
took  great  care  of  him,  provid- 
ed the  ablest  masters  for  him, 
and  then  sent  him  back  to  his 
mother,  to  whom  he  succeeded 
in  the  kingdom.  The  kings 
of  Ethiopia  pretend  to  be  de- 
scended from  Solomon  by  this 
young  prince,  whom  they  call- 
ed Menilehec  or  Meilic;  and 
they  reckon  four  and  twenty 
emperors  of  this  family  down 
to  Basalides,  who  reigned  a- 
bout  the  seventeenth  age.  See 
Ethiopia.  They  have  the  cata- 
logue of  the  kings  descended 
from  her;  not  only  their  names, 
but  the  order  of  their  succes- 
sion. This,  in  most  cases, 
would  certainly  be  thought  de- 
cisive evidence.  From  these 
Abyssinian  historians,  Mr. 
Bruce  has  given  us  a  history 
of  the  queen  of  Sheba  and  her 
descendants.      This    country, 


SHE 


SHE 


therefore,  I  think  demands  a 
description  in  this  work. 

This  kingdom  is  of  higher 
antiquity  than  any  other  of  the 
African  stages.  (Pinkerton.) 
Its  length  from  N.  to  S.  is  a- 
bout  770  miles;  the  medial 
breadth  is  about  550  miles. 
On  the  E.  the  Rrd  sea  is  its 
boundary;  on  the  S.  mountains 
and  deserts  separate  it  from 
Gingiro  and  Alaba;  W.  and  N. 
mountains  and  forests  are  the 
barriers  towards  Kordofan  and 
Sennaar. 

The  principal  lake  is  Tzana, 
or  Dembea.  This  lake,  through 
which  passes  the  Nile,  is  60 
miles  long,  and  about  half  as 
broad.  The  mountains  seem 
to  rise  in  irregular  groups. 
The  chain,  which  borders  the 
western  shores  of  the  Red  sea, 
and  the  ridge  which  pervades 
central  Africa,  unite  here.  On 
one  side  the  Senegal,  and  many 
other  streams,  and  on  the  other 
the  Niger,  or  Nile,  and  Gir, 
have  their  sources  As  in  other 
high  ranges  of  mountains,  here 
are  ttyee  ranks;  the  chief  eleva- 
tions are  in  the  middle.  From 
the  Amhara  and  Samena,  which 
are  the  highest  mountains,  and 
near  the  centre  of  the  kingdom, 
th  •  rivers  run  in  all  directions. 
Some  of  the  precipices  are  tre- 
mendous. 

Figs,  tamarinds,  dates,  coffee* 
balm  of  Gilead,  myrrh,  are  na- 


tives of  Abyssinia.  Their  horses 
are  small,  but  spirited.  In  their 
mountains  are  the  elephant,  the 
lion,,the  rhinoceros,  and  a  great 
variety  of  other  animals.  Gold 
is  found  in  their  streams,  and 
fossil  salt  on  the  confines  of 
Tigri. 

The  inhabitants  of  Abyssinia, 
are  Christians,  Jews,  Mahome- 
tans, and  Pagans.  Jews  have 
been  settled  in  this  country 
from  time  immemorial.  Some 
have  become  voluntary  prose- 
lytes to  Christianity;  others 
have  been  compelled  to  enter 
the  church  to  avoid  persecu- 
tion, and  to  enjoy  the  common 
benefits  of  commerce  and  man- 
ufactures. Those,  who  con- 
tinue to  profess  the  Jewish  re- 
ligion, have  retired  to  inacces- 
sible mountains.  Another  class 
inhabit  the  frontier  of  the  coun- 
try, towards  the  CafTres.  These 
are  supposed,  to  be  the  de- 
scendants of  those,  whom  the 
kings  of  Assyria  and  Babylon 
carried  away  captive,  or  from 
those  sold  and  dispersed  over 
the  world  by  Titus  Vespasian, 
after  the  final  destruction  of 
Jerusalem.  These  never  in- 
termixed with  the  original 
Jews,  who,  as  their  t»;iditions 
say,  came  here  with  Menilek, 
the  son  of  Solomon;  but  are 
looked  upon  as  aliens,  and  are 
called  strangtrs  and  exiles. 
They  retain   their  synagogue 


sm; 


Silfc 


worship,  and  their  Hebrew  Bi- 
bles, in  a  corrupt  Talmudic  di- 
alect. About  a  third  part  of 
the  people  are  Mahometans. 
These  and  the  Christians  live 
quietly  together.  The  Pagans 
are  chiefly  the  Galla,  a  fero- 
cious set  of  men.  They  are 
daring  warriors,  and  have  some- 
times carried  rapine  and  de- 
struction the  breadth  of  Africa, 
from  Sierra  Leone,  to  Arabia. 
Their  complexion  is  whiter 
than  the  negroes;  but  they  give 
themselves  a  ghastly  appear- 
ance, by  slashing  their  faces, 
and  by  turning  their  upper  eye- 
lid outward.  They  neither 
plant  nor  sow,  but  live  by 
plunder  and  carnage.  In  their 
wars  they  are  generally  invin- 
cible; they  neither  give  nor 
take  quarter;  they  eat  the  flesh 
of  their  enemies,  and  drink  their 
blood  from  cups  made  of  hu- 
man skulls.  When  discom- 
moded by  rain  or  thunder,  they 
bend  their  bows  against  the 
clouds,  and  curse  the  skies. 
Bruce,  Battel. 
The  Abyssinians  are  in  gen- 
eral, tall  and  well  made.  Their 
features  are  well  proportioned; 
their  eyes  are  large,  of  a  spark  - 
lin  •  black,  their  noses  are 
prominent,  rather  than  flat; 
their  lips  are  small,  and  their 
teetli  white  and  handsome. 
Persons  of  quality  wear  a  long 
vest,    of  cotton  or   silk,   tied 


about  the  middle  with  a  rich 
scarf.  The  common  people 
have  only  cotton  drawers,  and 
a  kind  of  scarf,  or  piece  of 
linen,  with  which  they  cover 
the  rest  of  the  body.  In  some 
parts  the  people  wear  no  kind 
of  clothing.  Among  the  lower 
class,  the  women  perform  all 
the  domestic  drudgencs. 

Marriage  does  not  exist  in, 
Abyssinia.  The  pleasure  or 
caprice  of  the  parties,  is  the 
only  bond  of  union.  They  co- 
habit without  the  solemnity  of 
any  religious  ceremony  or  civil 
form.  They  separate  and  unite 
again  as  often  *as  they  please. 
Upon  a  separation  the  children 
are  divided.  The  eldest  son 
goes  with  the  mother;  the  eld- 
est daughter  with  the  father; 
the  rest  are  divided  by  lot. 
From  the  children  of  a  beesrar 
to  those  of  a  king,  no  distinction 
is  made  between  the  legitimate, 
and  those,  who  are  illegitimate. 
Yet  the  higher  class  observe 
some  parade  and  ceremony  in 
their  connexions,  but  like  the 
vulgar,  totally  disregard  their 
vows. 

,  Two  kinds  of  monarchy  are 
known  in  Europe  and  Asia. 
One  is  absolute;  no  written 
laws  or  constitution  bind  the 
prince;  he  executes  his  will  by 
the  force  of  his  army.  In  the 
other  kind  of  monarchy,  are 
laws  and  restraints.  The  Abys- 


SHE 


SHE 


sinian  government  is  different 
from  either  of  these,  "a  mon- 
strous   kind     of    monarchy." 
Here  are  no  written  laws;    the 
lives  of  the  subjects,  and  their 
lands,  belong  to  the  king;    yet 
he  has  no  military  force.     The 
troops  are  all  in  the  hands  of 
those,  who  are  governors  of  the 
provinces.     Their  safety  lies, 
in  keeping  the  prince  in  want 
of  every  thing.    The  provinces 
sometimes  unite  to  starve  the 
capital,  and  leave  the  king  with- 
out provision  or  clothing.  Re- 
bellions and  wars  are  frequent. 
The   princes   of    Ab;,  ssinia 
claim  descent   from   Menilek, 
the    son    of   Solomon    by    the 
queen   of   Sheba.       She    was 
queen  of  Saba,  or  the  south, 
which  they  say  was  Abyssinia. 
Her   son    Menilek,    they  say, 
being  anointed  king  of  Ethio- 
pia in  the  temple  of  Jerusalem, 
returned  with  a  colony  of  Jews, 
among   whom    were  many  of 
their  learned  men,  and  partic- 
ularly one  doctor  of  the  law 
from   each  tribe,  from  whom 
their  present  judges   are   de- 
scended.   Upon  the  royal  arms 
the  motto  is,  "The  lion  of  the 
race  of  Solomon  and  tribe  of 
Judah  hath  overcome."   Their 
kings  are  approached  with  ado- 
ration,  and  while  in   council, 
they  are  concealed.  The  great- 
er part  of  the  people  arc  said  to 
be   Christians   of   th©    Greek 


church.     They  have  the  same 
books  of  the   scriptures  with 
us,  though  few  are  able  to  pur- 
chase entire  copies.     They  do 
not  profess  to  believe  in  purga- 
tory,  but  they    pray    for   the 
dead,  and   invoke    saints   and 
angels.     The  Abyssinians  eat 
no  meats,  which  are  prohibited 
by  the  law  of  Moses.       Both 
sexes  are  circumcised.    Satv.r- 
day  and   Sunday  are  obseived 
as  religious  days.    They  allow 
of  divorces,   nor  do  their  laws 
forbid  polygamy;    and  it  may 
with   propriety    be    said,   that 
their  religion  is  not  worthy  to 
be  dignified  with  the  name  of 
Christianity.     It    is   a    motley 
collection  of  tenets,  rites,  and 
traditions,  which  have  little  in- 
fluence on  their  morals.     The 
people  of  all  ranks  are  false,  in 
temperate,     implacable,      an 
faithless,  f  Cyclopedia.  J     Th 
Abyssinians  always  wash  their 
hands,  before  they  eat.     They 
neither    cat    nor    drink    with 
strangers;    they    break    awry 
vessel,  which  has  been  used  by 
a  stranger.     The  ofFt  r  of  meat 
and  drink  in   Abyssinia,  is   a 
pledge  that  your  life  is  not  in 
danger.     It  is  also  a  constant 
practice   to  wash  the   feet   of 
those,  who  come  from  Cairo, 
or  who  have  been  pilgrims  at 
Jerusalem.     The  capital   pun- 
ishments are  crucifixion,  hang- 
ing, flaying  alive,   stoning   to 


SHE 


shl 


death,  and  plucking  out  the 
eyes.  Criminals  executed  tor 
murder,  treason,  and  robbery, 
are  seldom  buried.  The  streets 
of  Gondar  are  strewed  with 
pieces  of  their  carcasses.  These 
lure  the  beasts  of  prey,  which, 
as  soon  as  it  is  dark,  in  multi- 
tudes enter  the  city  for  their 
portion,  and  it  becomes  dan- 
gerous to  walk  the  streets. 
The  dogs  bring  pieces  of  these 
human  bodies  into  the  yards 
and  houses,  that  they  may  eat 
in  greater  security.  The  flesh 
of  a  living  ox  furnishes  their 
richest  banquet.  The  poor 
animal  is  bound  at  the  door; 
servants  supply  the  guests  with 
the  warm  flesh,  quivering  with 
life.  The  rich  have  their  food 
cut  and  put  in  their  mouths, 
by  their  servants  or  women. 
The  only  meal  is  commonly  in 
the  evening. 

Gondar  is  the  capital.  The 
population  is  50,000.  Axum, 
the  ancient  capital,  is  known  by 
extensive  ruins. 

The  inhabitants  are  estima- 
ted at  2  or  3,000,000,  and  the 
army  at  30  or  40,000.  Parish's 
Modem  Geography. 

From  lord  Vaientia's  travels, 
who  has  more  recently  been  in 
this  country,  I  add  the  follow- 
ing extracts,  which  though  he 
declares  the  account  of  Bruce 
in  general  to  be  accurate;  yet 
he  differs  in  some  particulars. 
56 


He  says  the  people  of  Abys* 
sinia  are  ceremonious.      Mo<>t 
of  those,  who  come  into   the 
presence  of  the   lias,  uncover 
themselves  to  the  waist;  others 
only     uncover    their    breasts* 
Equals    salute  each   other  by 
kissing,  when  they  meet,  and 
repeat  their  compliments  over 
and   over   again,  and  scrupu- 
lously observe  the  laivs  of  good 
breeding.     In  default  of  kin- 
dred, the  estate  is   sold,    and 
half  the  produce  of  it  is  given 
to  the  poor;    the  other  half  is 
devoted  to  the  support  of  Chris- 
tianity.     Great  men   have   as 
many    wives    as   they  please; 
some  have  forty;  but  the  chil- 
dren of  masters  by  their  ser- 
vants, do  not  inherit  their  fa- 
ther's property,  but  are  viewed 
in  the  light  of  menials,  though 
they  are  not  compelled  to  labor. 
Calves  and  lambs  are  not  eat- 
en,  perhaps   to   promote    the 
multiplying  of  their  cattle  and 
sheep.       Like  the  Jews,  they 
refuse  to  eat  wild  fowls.    Hogs 
are  not  kept  tame.  The  higher 
class  of  people  rigorously  ob- 
serve their  fasts,  though  they 
take    up    a    third  part   of  the 
year,  but  the  lower  people  eat 
when  they  can  find  food.    The 
royal  family  are  no  longer  con- 
fined on  the  mountains.     Va- 
ientia's   Travels,    vol.    iii,    p. 
156—160. 

SHEBA,  a  city  of  the  tribe 


SHE 


SHE 


of  Simeon,  Josh,  xix,  2,  the 
same  city  as  Beersheba,  or  per- 
haps the  same  as  Shema,  Josh, 
xv,  26. 

SHEBAM,  a  city  beyond 
Jordan,  in  the  distribution  of 
the  tribe  of  Reuben,  Numbers 
xxxii,  3.     See  Sibmah. 

SHEBARIM,  a  place  about 
Ai  and  Bethel.  The  inhabit- 
ants  of  Ai  pursued  the  Israel- 
ites from  the  gate  of  their  city 
as  far  as  Sebarim. 

SHECHEM  a  city  of  Sa- 
maria,  called  otherwise  Sychar, 
Neapolis  or  Naploase.  Jose- 
phus  says,  that  the  people  of 
the  country  called  it  Mabartha- 
After  the  ruin  of  Samaria  by 
Shalmanezer,  Shechem  was  the 
capital  of  the  Samaritans,  and 
Josephus  says,  -it  was  still  so  in 
the  time  of  Alexander  the 
Great.  It  was  ten  miles  from 
Shiloh,  forty  from  Jerusalem', 
and  fifty-two  from  Jericho. 
St.  Jerome  says  that  St. 
Pabla  visited  the  church,  that 
was  built  upon  Jacob's  foun- 
tain. Antoninus  Martyr,  A- 
damnanus,  and  Viilabaldus, 
who  wrote  in  the  eighth  centu- 
ry, speak  of  this  church. 

At  this  place,  just  before  his 
death,  Joshua  convened  the 
tribes  of  Israel  and  gave  them 
a  solemn  charge.  The  citi- 
zens of  this  place,  with  the 
family  of  Millo,  set  up  Abime- 
lech,  the  bastard  of  Gideon,  for 


their  king;  but  in  about  three 
years,  as  might  have  been  ex- 
pected from  such  a  low  born 
fellow,  he  destroyed  the  city 
and  murdered  the  inhabitants. 
Jeroboam  for  a  time  made  this 
place,  after  he  had  rebuilt  it, 
the  metropolis  of  his  govern- 
ment. Long  after  this  the  Sa- 
maritans made  it  their  capital, 
and  as  they  were  a  drunken 
set  of  creatures,  the  city  was 
called  Sychar,  or  drunkenness. 
About  A.M.  3870,  Hyrcanus, 
king  of  the  Jews,  took,  pillaged, 
and  razed  the  city  to  the  ground. 
It  was  rebuilt  by  Vespasian,  a- 
bout  A.D.  70,  and  called  Fla- 
via  and  Neapolis.  It  is  now 
called  Napiouse,  and  is  the 
capital  of  a  small  government 
under  the  Turks.  Here  live 
the  only  remains  of  the  Samari- 
tans, which  are  known  to  exist. 
Near  this  town  is  the  cele- 
brated plain  of  Moreh,  situate 
near  the  two  hills,  Gerizim  and 
Ebal,  as  maybe  seen,  Deut.  xi, 
29,30,  where  is  said,  "Are  they 
not  in  the  land  of  the  Canaan- 
ites,  which  dwell  in  the  cham- 
pain  over  against  Gilgal,  be- 
side the  plain  of  Moreh."  Ja- 
cob bequeathed  this  plain  to 
Joseph,  as  a  mark  of  particular 
affection,  John  iv,  5.  Here  was 
"Jacob's  well,"  and  near  the 
plain  was  probably  the  hill 
Moreh,  Judg.  vii,  l.  Jacob 
bought     this    field      of    Ha- 


SHE 


SHE 


mor,  the  father  of  Sheehem, 
immediately  after  his  return 
from  Padau-aram;  it  was  doubt- 
less the  first  land,  which  he  ev- 
er possessed  as  his  own.  He 
gave  a  hundred  pieces  for  it. 
Gen.  xxxiii,  19.  The  critics 
have  much  disputed  whether 
he  paid  so  many  pieces  of  mon- 
ey, or  a  hundred  lambs  or 
sheep.  The  word  rendered 
money,  is  no  where  used  in  the 
Bible,  but  here,  and  in  Joshua 
xxiv,  32,  and  Job  xlii,  15.  As 
the  word  here  used,  kesilah, 
signifies  a  lamb,  it  has  been 
conjectured,  that  these  pieces 
of  money  had  the  figure  of  a 
lamb  stamped  upon  them,  be- 
cause each  piece  on  an  average 
was  the  value  of  a  lamb;  hence 
also  it  might  be  called  a  lamb, 
kesitah,  from  the  image,  which 
it  bore.  A  custom  somewhat 
like  this  has  certainly  prevailed 
in  several  countries  in  modern 
times.  Formerly  a  certain 
piece  of  English  money  was 
called  an  angel,  because  it  bore 
the  image  of  an  angel.  Hence 
also  a  Jacobus,  a  Joe,  because 
those  pieces  bore  the  image  of 
king  James  and  Joseph.  The 
Athenians  had  a  coin,  called 
bous,  an  ox,  because  it  was 
stamped  with  a  figure  of  an  ox. 
Hence  a  person  bribed  to  be  si- 
lent, says,  "I  must  be  silent,  a 
great  ox  walks  upon  my 
tongue,"  i.  e.  a  sum  of  money 


had  been  given  him,  on  which 
the  figure  of  an  ox  was  stamp- 
ed. The  Latin  word  pecunia, 
money,  and  the  English  pecun- 
iary came  from  pecus,  cattle, 
because  cattle  once  constituted 
the  substance  of  a  man's  prop- 
erty. The  ancient  Britons  and 
Saxons  had  pieces  of  money  on 
which  were  the  image  of  a  hog, 
horse,  ox,  or  goat;  probably 
from  the  circumstance,  that  the 
piece  of  money  was  supposed 
to  be  the  price  of  the  creature 
whose  image  it  bore.  See  Dr. 
darkens  Commentary .  Mr. 
Parkhurstis  of  opinion  that  the 
kesitah  bore  the  image  of  a 
lamb,  and  that  these  lamb  coins 
of  Israel,  typified  the  Lamb  of 
God,  who  in  the  Divine  pur- 
pose, was  considered,  as  slain 
from  the  foundation  of  the 
world, and  who  purchased  us 
with  his  own  blood.  The  con- 
jecture is  pious,  and  may  sug- 
gest useful  reflections.  Some 
others,  of  a  similar  cast  of  mind 
with  the  above  writer,  have 
supposed  that  St.  Peter  allud- 
ed to  these  ancient  pieces  of 
money,  bearing  the  image  of  a 
lamb,  when  he  tells  the  Jewish 
converts,  that  "they  were  not  re- 
deemed with  corruptible  things 
as  silver  and  gold,  but  with 
the  precious  blood  of  Christ,  as 
of  a  lamb  without  blemish,  and 
without  spot,"  1  Pet.  i,  18,  19. 
The  Septuagint  and  Vulgate 


SHE 


SHE 


translate  the  word,  sheep  or 
lambs;  but  the  Rabbins  are 
generally  of  opinion,  that  it 
signifies  a  piece  of  money. 
B  ichart  and  Eugubinus  are  of 
opinion  that  the  Septuagint 
meant  mince,  and  not  lambs,  in 
Greek  hecatonamnoon,inh\Gdd  of 
ekaton  amnoon.  A  mina  is 
worth  60  Hebrew  shekels,  and 
consequently  33  dollars..  M. 
de  Pelletier  is  of  opinion  that 
kesitah  was  a  Persian  coin, 
stamped  on  one  side  with  an 
archer,  (kesitah  or  keseth  in 
Hebrew  signifying  a  bow,)  and 
on  the  other  with  a  lamb;  that 
it  was  a  gold  coin,  known  in 
the  East  by  the  name  of  a  daric, 
and  in  value  about  two  dollars 
and  a  half.  Several  learned  men, 
without  mentioning  its  value, 
say  it  was  a  silver  coin,  the 
impression  of  which  was  a 
sheep.  Calmet  was  of  opinion 
that  kesitah  was  a  purse  of  gold 
or  silver.  In  the  East,  at  the 
present  day,  they  reckon  by 
purses.  Jonathan  and  the  Tar- 
gum  of  Jerusalem  translate 
kesitah,  "a  pearl."  It  might 
doubtless  be  a  purchase  for 
money.  Nor  is  this  the  first 
instance  in  the  world  of  laud 
bought  for  money.  One  hun- 
dred and  sixty- eii^ht  yea;  s  be- 
fore this  time,  in  this  same  re- 
gion, Abraham  had  bought  a 
piece  of  land  for  a  burying 
place,  and  weighed   silver,  as 


we  often  do  gold,  current  with 
the  merchants,  in  payment. 
Thus  the  first  land  in  the 
world  mentioned  in  history  as 
bought,  was  for  a  tomb;  the 
second  was  to  erect  a  place  of 
worship.  Concerning  this  plain 
of  Moreh,  a  modern  traveller 
says,  it  is  a  wide  field,  water- 
ed with  a  fresh  stream,  rising 
between  it  and  Sychem.  This 
makes  it  so  exceedingly  ver- 
dant and  fruitful,  that  it  may 
well  be  regarded,  as  a  stand- 
ing token  of  the  tender  affection 
of  the  good  patriarch,  Jacob, 
to  the  best  of  sons.    Lat.  32,  9. 

SHEMA,  a  city  of  Judea 
belonging  to  the  tribe  of  Ju- 
dah,  Josh,  xv,  26. 

SHEMER,  the  name  of  the 
mount  upon  which  was  built 
the  city  of  Samaria,  1  Kings 
xvi,  24.  This  hill  was  famous 
before  the  building  of  Samaria, 
for  the  battle  fought  between 
Abijah,  king  of  Judah,  and  Je- 
roboam king  of  Israel,  when 
Abijah,  at  the  head  of  four 
hundred  thousand  men  en- 
camped on  this  mount,  2  Chr. 
xiii.  This  mountain  was  twelve 
miles  from  Dothaim,  twelve 
from  Merom,  and  four  from 
Alharoth. 

SHENEH,  the  name  of  one 
of  the  rocks  over  which  Jon- 
athan passed,  to  come  at  the 
garrison  of  the  Philistines,  1 
Sam.  xiv,  4. 


SHE 


SHE 


SHEPH  AM,  a  city  of  Syria, 
which  was  the  eastern  limit  of 
of  the  Land  of  Promise,  Num. 
xxxiv,  10,  11.  This  might 
be  the  s.ime  with  Apamea. 

SHEPHELAH,  a  fiat  piece 
of  ground  or  plain,  north  and 
north-west  about  Eleutherop- 
oplis.  The  city  of  Adida  stood 
in  this  plain. 

SHESHACH,  a  name  by 
which  Jeremiah  points  out 
Babylon.  This  prophet  being 
directed  to  cause  all  nations 
to  drink  the  cup  of  the  fury  of 
the  Lord,  "The  king  of  Shes- 
hach  shall  drink  after  them;" 
Jer.  xxv,  26:  and  elsewhere, 
"How  is  Sheshach  taken,  and 
and  how  is  the  praise  of  the 
whole  earth  surprised.  How 
is  Babvlon  become  an  aston- 
ishment  among  the  nations.'"7 
Now  the  question  is,  how  Ba- 
bylon comes  by  this  name?  St. 
Jerome  thinks,  that  Jeremiah 
uses  this  name  for  fear  of  of- 
fending Nebuchadnezzar,  who 
was  at  this  time  besieging  Je- 
rusalem. Calmet  takes  Shes- 
hach to  be  a  pagan  deity,  wor- 
shipped chiefly  at  Babylon,  and 
thinks  that  the  prophet  gives 
this  city  the  name  of  its  tutelar 
deity,  in  the  manner  he  speaks 
of  it  elsewhere:  "Babylon  is 
taken,  Bel  is  confounded,  Me- 
rodach  is  broken  in  pieces." 
Our  author  also  thinks  it  prob- 
able, that  Sheshach  is  the  moon, 


and  at  Babylon  they  celebrated 
feasts  called  Sacaean,  accord- 
ing to  Strabo,  in  honor  of  the 
moon.  At  one  of  these  festi- 
vals the  city  might  be  taken, 
and  using  this  name  might  be 
designed,  not  only  to  give 
warning  of  the  event,  but  of  the 
time,  when  it  should  take  place. 

SHIBMAH,  or  Sibmah,  a 
city  of  the  tribe  of  Reuben. 
Num.  xxxii,  38,  Josh,  xiii,  19, 
Isai.  xvi,  8,  speaks  of  the  vines 
of  Sibmah,  which  were  cut 
down  by  the  enemies  of  the 
Moabites.  For  these  people 
had  taken  the  city  of  Shibmah, 
Jer.  xlviii,  32,  and  others  of 
the  country  of  Reuben,  after 
this  tribe  was  carried  away  in- 
to captivity  by  Tiglath-pileser. 
St.  Jerome  says,  that  between 
Heshbon  and  Shibmah,  there 
was  hardly  the  distance  of  five 
hundred  paces. 

SHIHON,  a  city  of  the  tribe 
of  Issachar,  Josh,  xix,  19.  Eu- 
sebius  says,  that  in  his  time 
there  was  a  place  called  Seon, 
at  the  foot  of  mount  Tabor. 

SHILHIM,  a  city  of  Pales- 
tine belonging  to  the  tribe  of 
Judah,  Josh,  xv,  32. 

SH1LOH,  Josh,  xviii,  19, 
21,  a  famous  city  of  the  tribe 
of  Ephraim,  twelve  miles  or 
four  leagues  distant  from  Shec- 
hem,  according  to  Eusebius; 
or  ten  miles  according  to  St. 
Jerome.  It  was  in  Acrabatena, 


SHE 


SHI 


according  to  both  of  them.  In 
St.  Jerome's  time  Shiloh  was 
entirely  ruined,  and  nothing 
remarkable  was  found  there, 
but  the  foundation  of  the  altar 
of  burnt  offerings,  which  was 
in  that  place,  when  the  taber- 
nacle was  set  up  there.  It  was 
at  Shiloh  that  Joshua,  chap, 
xviii,  1,  2,  assembled  the  peo- 
ple, to  make  a  second  distri- 
bution of  the  Land  of  Promise. 
It  was  in  the  same  place  that 
the  tabernacle  of  the  Lord  was 
set  up,  when  the  people  were 
settled  in  the  country,  Josh, 
xix,  50.  The  ark  and  taber- 
nacle of  the  Lord  continued  at 
Shiloh,  from  the  year  of  the 
world  2560,  when  it  was  set 
up  by  Joshua,  to  the  year  of 
the  world  2888,  at  which  time 
it  was  taken  by  the  Philistines, 
under  the  administration  of  the 
high  priest  Eli,  1  Sam.  iv. 
It  was  there  also  that  the 
prophet  Ahijah  dwelt,  1  Kings 
xiv,  2,  Jer.  vii,  12,  14,  and 
xxvi,  6,  9,  foretold  that  the 
temple  of  Jerusalem  should  be 
reduced  to  the  same  condition 
as  Shiioh  was.  After  the  re- 
turn of  the  ark,  out  of  the 
country  of  the  Philistines,  in- 
stead of  taking  it  back  to  Shi 
loh,  it  was  laid  up  at  Kirjath- 
jearim,  1  Sam.  vi,  21. 

Mr.  Reland  conjectures,  that 
it  is  from  the  name  of  Shiloh, 
that  Pausanias  took  occasion  to 


say,  that  Silenus  the  compan- 
ion of  Bacchus  was  buried  irt 
Palestine.  Benjamin  of  Tudela 
affirms,  that  the  tomb  of  Sam- 
uel was  still  to  be  seen  there. 
Upon  the  medals  of  Shechem, 
orNeapolis,  we  see  Silenus  re- 
presented; which  should  make 
us  think  that  it  was  ra'ther  at 
Shechem  than  at  Shiloh,  that 
they  might  expect  to  find  the 
tomb  of  this  demigod.  After 
the  ark  was  removed  from 
Shiloh,  it  gradually  dwindled 
away,  till  its  ruinous  stale  be- 
came proverbial.  As  the  young 
women  of  Shiloh  were  dancing 
in  their  vineyards,  the  600  men 
of  Benjamin,  who  had  survived 
the  almost  entire  slaughter  of 
their  tribe,  came,  and  by  sur- 
prise, seized  every  man  a  wife. 
Jud.  xxi.     Lat.  31,  59. 

SHIMRON,  or  Simeron, 
a  city  of  Zebnlun,  Josh,  xix, 
15.  This  name  is  also  given 
to  the  mountain  Shemer,  upon 
which  the  city  of  Samaria  was 
built.  See  Shemer-  The  city 
of  Shimron  is  in  Lat.  32,  43. 

SHINAR,  or  Sennaar,  a 
province  of  Babylonia,  where 
the  tower  of  Babel  was  built, 
Gen.  xi,  2.  Calneh  was  built 
in  the  same  country.  Amra- 
phcl  king  of  Slnnar,  was  a  po- 
tent prince  in  the  time  of  Abra- 
ham, Gen.  xiv,  1.  Daniel  says, 
i,  2,  that  Nebuchadnezzar  car- 
ried away  the  sacred  vessels  of 


SHi 


Sill 


the  temple  of  Jerusalem,  and 
put  them  in  the  temple  of  his 
gpd,  in  the  land  of  Shinar. 
There  is  great  probability  that 
the  mountains  of  Singares,  or 
Sagras,  as  well  as  the  city  and 
river  of  Singare,  take  their 
name  from  Shinar,  Sennaar,  or 
Senear.  See  Babylon,  Sec. 
The  dispersion  of  mankind 
in  the  history  of  the  world,  was 
occasioned  by  the  confusion  of 
tongues,  and  took  place  in  con- 
sequence of  the  overthrow  of 
Babel,  at  the  birth  of  Peleg: 
whence  he  derived  this  name; 
and  it  appears  by  the  account 
given  of  his  ancestors,  Gen.  xi, 
10 — 16,  to  "have  happened  in 
the  101st  year  after  the  flood, 
according  to  the  Hebrew  chro. 
nology,  and  by  the  Samaritan 
computation,  in  the  401st. 
However,  various  difficulties 
have  been  suggested  by  chro- 
nologers  concerning  the  true 
era  of  this  event.  Sir  John 
Marshman  and  others,  in  order 
to  reconcile  the  Hebrew  and 
Egyptian  chronologies,  main- 
tain a  dispersion  of  mankind 
before  the  birth  of  Peleg.  Oth- 
ers, unable  to  find  numbers 
sufficient  for  the  plantation  of 
colonies  in  the  space  of  101 
years,  according  to  the  Hebrew 
computation,  fix  the  dispersion 
towards  the  end  of  Peleg's  life, 
thus  following  the  computation 
of  the  Jews. 


Petavius  assigns  the  153d 
year  after  the  flood,  Cumber- 
land the  180,!i;  and  Usher, 
though  he  generally  refers  it  to 
the  time  of  Peleg's  birth,  in 
one  place  assigns  the  131st  af- 
ter the  Hood,  for  this  event. 
Mr.  Shuckford  supposes  the 
dispersion  to  have  been  gradu- 
al, and  to  have  commenced 
with  the  separation  of  some 
companies  at  the  birth  or  Peleg, 
and  to  have  been  completed  31 
years  after.  According  to  me 
calculation  of  Petavius,  vhc 
number  of  inhabitants  on  the 
earth  at  the  birth  of  Peieg,  a- 
mounted  to  32,768;  Cumber- 
land makes  them  80,000.  Mr. 
Mede  states  them  at  seven 
thousand  men,  besides  women 
and  children;  and  Mr.  Whiston, 
who  supposes  that  mankind 
now  double  themselves  in  400 
years,  and  that  they  doubled 
themselves  between  the  deluge 
and  the  time  of  David  in  60 
years  at  a  medium,  when  their 
lives  were  six  or  seven  times  as 
long  as  they  have  been  since, 
by  his  computation  produces 
about  2389,  a  number  much 
too  inconsiderable  for  the  pur- 
poses of  separating  and  form- 
ing distinct  nations.  This  dif- 
ficulty induced  Mr.  Whiston 
to  reject  the  Hebrew,  and  to 
adopt  the  Samaritan  chronolo- 
gy, as  many  others  have  done; 
which,  by  allowing  an  interval 


SHI 


SHI 


of  401  years  between  the  Hood 
and  the  birth  of  Peleg,  furnish- 
es by  the  last  mentioned  mode 
of  computation,  more  than 
240,000  persons. 

As  to  the  manner  of  the  dis- 
persion from  the  plain  of  Shi- 
nar,  it  was  undoubtedly   con- 
ducted with  the  utmost  regu- 
larity and  order.     The  sacred 
historian  informs  us,  that  they 
were  divided    in   their   lands; 
every    one   according    to    his 
tongue,  according  to  his  fami- 
ly, and  according  to  his  nation; 
and  thus  Mr.  Mede  observes, 
they  were  ranged  according  to 
their  nations,  and  every  nation 
by  their  families;  so  that  each 
nation  had  a  separate  lot,  and 
each  family    in   every    nation. 
The  following  fact  will  serve  to 
give  a  general  idea  of  their  re- 
spective settlements:     Japhet, 
Noah's   eldest  son,  had  seven 
sons,  viz.  Gomer,  whose  de- 
scendants inhabited  those  parts 
of  Asia,  which  lie    upon    the 
iEgean  sea,   and    Hellespont, 
northward,  containing  Phrygia, 
Pontus,  Bithynia,  and  a  great 
part  of  Galatia.   Some  of  these 
were    called    Gomerasei;    and 
Cimmerii,    and   according   to 
Herodotus,  they  occupied  this 
tract  of  country:  and  from  these 
Gomerians,  Cimmerii  or  Celts, 
Mr.    Camden  derives  the  an- 
cient Britons,  who  still  retain 
the  name    Cymro  or  Cymrii. 


Magog,  the  second  son  of  Ja- 
phet, was  probably  the  father 
of  the  Scythians,   on  the  east 
and  north-east  of  the  Euxine 
sea.      Madai    planted   Media, 
though  Mr.  Mede  assigns  Ma- 
cedonia  to  his    share.     Javan 
was  the  father  of  the  Grecians 
about  Ionia,  whose  country  lies 
upon   the  Mediterranean    sea; 
the  radicals  of.  Javan  and  Ionia 
being  the  same.      To   Tubal 
and  Mesheck  •  belonged  Cappa- 
docia  and  the  country,  which 
lies  on  the  borders  of  the  Eux- 
ine sea;  and   from  them,  mi- 
grating over  the  Caucasus,  it  is 
supposed    the    Russians    and 
Muscovites  are  descended.  Ti- 
ras  occupied  Thrace.  The  sons 
of  Shem  were  five:  Elam, whose 
country  lay  between  the  Medes 
and  Mesopotamians,  and  was 
called  by  the  Gentile    writers 
Elymais;    and  Josephus   calls 
the   Elamites  the  founders  of 
the  Persians.    Ashur,  who  was 
driven  out  of  Shinar  by  Nim- 
rod    afterwards  settled  in  As- 
syria, and  there  built  Nineveh 
and   other    cities;    Arphaxad, 
who  gave  name  to  the  country, 
which  Ptolemy  calls  Arrapha- 
citis,   a   province  of    Assyria, 
though   Josephus  makes   him 
the  father  of  the  Chaldees:  Lud, 
who  inhabited  and  gave  name 
to  the  country  of  Lydia,  about 
the  river  Meander,  remarkable 
for  its  windings,  in  Asia  Minor: 


SHI 


Sill 


and  Aram,  the  father  of  the  Sy- 
rians. Ham,  the  youngest  son 
of  Noah,  had  four  sons,  viz. 
Cash,  whose  posterity,  spread 
int  y  the  several  parts  of  Arabia, 
over  the  borders  of  Edom,  in- 
to Arabia  Felix,  up  to  Median 
and  Egypt:  Mizraim,  the  fa- 
ther of  them,  who  inhabited 
Egypt  and  other  parts  of  Afri- 
ca: Pnut,to  whom  Bochart  as- 
signs the  remaining  part  of  Af- 
rica, from  the  lake  Tritonides 
to  the  Atlantic  ocean,  called 
Lybia:  and  Canaan,  to  whom 
belonged  the  land  of  Canaan, 
whence  the  Phoenicians  derived 
their  origin. 

Dr.  Bryant  has  advanced  a 
new  hypothesis  on  this  subject, 
and  supported  it  with  his  usual 
acuteness  and  learning.  He 
maintains,  that  the  dispersic  n, 
as  well  as  the  confusion  of 
tongues,  was  local,  and  limited 
to  the  inhabitants  of  the  prov- 
ince of  Babel;  that  the  separa- 
tion and  distribution  recorded 
to  have  taken  place  in  the  days 
of  Peleg,  Gen.  x,25;  xxxi,  32, 
which  was  the  result  of  Divine 
appointment,  occasioned  a  gen- 
eral migration;  and  that  all  the 
families  among  the  sons  of  men 
were  concerned  in  it.  The 
house  of  Shem,  from  which  the 
Messiah  was  to  spring,  was  par- 
ticularly regarded  in  this  dis- 
tribution, the  portion  of  his 
children  was  near  the  place  of 
57 


separation;  they  in  general  had 
Asia  to  their  lot;  as  Japhet  had 
Europe,  and  Ham  the  conti- 
nent of  Africa.  But  the  sons 
of  Chus  would  not  submit  to 
the  Divine  dispensation;  they 
went  off  under  the  conducr  of 
Nimrod,  and  seem  to  have  been 
a  long  time  in  a  roving  state. 
However,  at  last  they  arrived  at 
the  plains  of  Shinar;  and  hav- 
ing ejected  Asher  and  his  sons, 
who  were  placed  there  by  Di- 
vine appointment,  seized  his 
dominions,  and  Lid  there  the 
foundations  of  a  great  monar- 
chy. But  afterwards,  fea-ring 
lest  they  should  be  divided  and 
scattered  abroad,  they  built  the 
tower  of  Babel,  as  a  landmark 
to  which  they  might  repair; 
and  probably  to  answer  the  pur- 
poses of  an  idolatrous  temple, 
or  high  altar,  dedicated  to  the 
host  of  heaven,  from  which  they 
were  never  long  to  be  absent. 
They  only,  namely,  the  sons  of 
Chus  or  the  Chuthites,  and  their 
associates  from  other  families, 
who  had  been  guilty  of  rebel- 
lion, against  Divine  authority, 
and  of  wicked  ambition  and  ty- 
ranny, were  punished  with  the 
judgment  of  confounded  speech 
through  a  failure  in  labial  ut- 
terance, and  of  the  dispersion 
recorded  in  Gen.  x,  8,  9;  in 
consequence  of  which,  they 
were  scattered  abroad  from  this 
city  and  tower,    without   any 


SHI 


SHU 


certain  place  of  destination. 
The  Chuthites  invaded  Egypt, 
or  the  land  of  Mizraim,  in  its 
infant  state,  seized  the  whole 
country,  and  held  it  for  some 
ages  in  subjection;  they  ex- 
tended likewise  to  the  Indies 
and  the  Ganges,  and  still  farther 
into  China  and  Japan.  From 
them  the  province  of  Cushan 
or  Goshen  in  Egypt  derived  its 
name.  Here  they  obtained  the 
appellation  of  royal  shepherds; 
and  when  they  were  by  force 
driven  out  of  the  country,  after 
having  been  in  possession  of  it 
for  260  or  280  years,  the  land 
which  they  had  been  obliged  to 
quit  was  given  to  the  Isn.eliies, 
who  were  also  denominated 
shepherds,  but  should  not  be 
confounded  with  the  former, 
or  the  antecedent  inhabitants 
of  Goshen. 

Babel,  erected  on  Shinar, 
appears  to  have  been  the  first 
temple  raised  by  the  apostate 
Cuthites,  in  honor  of  the  Sun, 
and  in  subsequent  ages  it  was 
equally  the  model  for  the  pyr- 
amids of  Egypt,  the  pyratheia 
of  Persia,  the  pagodas  of  Hin- 
dostan,  and  the  solar  temples 
of  Mexico.  Nor  was  religious 
worship  the  only  design  of  its 
erection.  It  is  intimated  in 
scripture  that  one  object  was 
to  rear  a  kind  of  deacon  or 
landmark  to  prevent  their  dis- 
persion. The  sacred  fire,  which 


blazed  on  its  lofty  summit,  was 
well  adapted  to  answer  such  a 
purpose;  the  light  of  this  proud 
altar,  diffused  on  every  side, 
would  render  conspicuous  this 
celebrated  tower  through  the 
extensive  plains  of  Shinar. 

Diet.  Bib.  Encij.  Horce  Mo- 
saic. 

SHITTIM,  a  place  on  the 
Jordan,  where  the  Hebrews 
encamped  a  considerable  time, 
Numb.  xxv.     Lat.  31,  31. 

SHOPHAN,   Sophan,    or 
Zaphon,  a  city  of  the  tribe  of 
Gad,  Numb,   xxxii,    35,  and 
xiii,  27.     It  stood  a  little  east 
from  the  sea  of  Tiberias. 

SHUAL,  a  country  of  Isra- 
el, where  the  Philistines  made 
an  invasion  in  the  time  of  Saul, 
1  Sam.  xiii,  17.  The  situa- 
tion of  this  canton  of  Shaul,  or 
the  Fox,  is  not  known. 

SHUNEM,  a  city  of  Judea 
belonging  to  the  tribe  of  Issa- 
char,  Josh,  xix,  18.  The  Phi- 
listines encamped  at  Shunem, 
in  the  great  field  or  plain,  and 
king  Saul  encamped  at  Gilboa, 
1  Sam.  xxviii,  4.  Eusebius 
places  Shunem,  or  Shulem,  5 
miles  from  Tabor  to  the  south. 
In  this  place  the  prophet  Elisha 
was  hospitably  entertained  by 
a  good  woman,  whose  child 
dying,  he  restored  it  to  life,  2 
Kings  iv. 

SHUR,  or  Sur,  a  city  in 
Arabia  Petrea,  which  has  given 


SHU 


SHU 


its  name  to  the  desert  of  Sur 
in  the  same  country,  Gen.  xvi, 
7;  Exod.  xv,  22.  Ptolemy 
speaks  of  the  city  of  Suratte 
in  Arabia  Petrea.  This  place 
was  on  the  north-east  side  of 
the  Red  Sea.     Lat.  30. 

Shur,  or  Sur,  a  desert  of 
Arabia  Petrea,  extending  be- 
tween Palestine  and  the  Ara- 
bian gulf,  into  which  the  Israel- 
ites first  came,  after  their  march 
through  the  Red  Sea,  Exod. 
xv,  22.  It  is  also  said  in  Num. 
xxxiii,  that  from  the  sea,  they 
went  three  days  journey  into  the 
wilderness  of  Etham;  whence 
some  have  concluded  that  E- 
tham  and  Shur  are  the  same 
wilderness,  or  only  differ  as  a 
part  from  the  whole;  it  being 
supposed  that  Shur  is  the  gen- 
eral name  for  the  whole  wilder- 
ness, and  Etham,  the  name  of 
that  part  lying  near  the  encamp- 
ment of  the  same  name.  So 
little  is  known  concerning  the 
geography  of  these  regions, 
that  there  is  more  room  for 
doubt  and  disputation,  than  for 
decision  and  confidence. 

SHUSHAN,  or  Susan,  or 
Susa,  the  capital  city  of  Susi- 
ana,  or  of  the  country  of  Elam, 
that  is,  of  Persia.  It  was  the 
first  province  of  the  country, 
east  of  the  Tigris.  Dan.  viii, 
2,  3,  &c.  always  gives  it  the 
name  of  the  palace:  "I  was  at 
Shushan,  in   the  palace;"  be- 


cause the  kings  of  Chaldcehad 
tin -re  a  royal  palace.  From  the 
time  of  Cyrus,  the  kings  of 
Persia  took  up  the  custom  of 
passing  the  winter  here,  and 
the  summer  at  Ecbatana.  The 
winter  was  very  moderate  at 
Shushan,  but  the  heat  of  the 
summer  was  so  great,  that  the 
very  lizards  and  serpents,  that 
were  surprised  by  it  in  the 
street,  were  even  burnt  up  by 
the  heat  of  the  sun.  This  city 
stands  npon  the  river  Ulai.  It 
was  in  this  city,  and  upon  this 
river,  that  Daniel  had  the  vis- 
ion of  the  ram  with  two  horns, 
and  the  goat  with  one  horn,  &c. 
in  the  third  year  of  the  reign  of 
Belshazzar. 

It  was  also  in  this  city  of 
Shushan,  that  the  history  of 
Esther  happened.  It  was  here 
that  Ahasuerus,  or  Darius,  the 
son  of  Hystaspes,  generally  re- 
sided and  reigned,  Esther  i,  1, 
2,  &c.  .Pliny  says,  he  rebuilt 
Shush.in,  that  is,  he  enlarged 
and  adorned  it.  Nehemiahwas 
also  at  Shushan,  when  he  ob- 
tained from  king  Artaxerxes 
the  permission  to  return  into 
Judea,  and  to  repair  the  walls 
at  Jerusalem, Nehem.  i,l.  Ben- 
jamin of  Tudela,  and  Abul- 
farage,  place  the  tomb  of  Dan- 
iel at  Chuzestan,  which  is  the 
ancient  city  of  Shushan,  the 
capital  of  Elam. 

Lighifoot  says,  that  the  out* 


SHU 


SID 


ward  gate  of  the  eastern  wall  of 
the  temple  in  Jerusalem  was 
called  the  gate  of  Shushan,  and 
that  upon  this  gate  was  carved 
the  figure  of  the  city  of  Shush- 
an, a  memorial  of  gratitude  for 
the  decree,  granted  at  Shushan 
by  Darius,  the  son  of  Hystas- 
pes,  permitting  the  Jews  to  re- 
build their  temple.  This  was 
anciently  a  rich  and  splendid 
city.  It  is  said  that  the  walls, 
which  encircled  it  were  ce- 
mented with  gold.  Alexander 
the  Great  found  here  fifty  thou- 
sand talents  of  uncoined  gold, 
besides  wedges  of  silver,  and 
jewels  of  inestimable  value. 
The  place  is  now  a  heap  of  ru- 
ins. Through  this  city  Haman 
conducted  Mordecai  on  horse- 
back in  a  splendid  manner  to 
do  him  honor.  This  seems  to  us 
an  odd  way  of  honoring  a  man. 
But  Mr.  Pitts,  in  his  travels, 
gives  an  account  of  a  proces- 
sion in  Algiers,  not  unlike  this. 
"When  a  person  turns  Mahom- 
etan, to  do  him  honor,  lie  is  set 
on  a  stately  horse,  with  a  rich 
saddle,  and  fine  trappings";  he 
is  also  cloathed  in  a  rich  man- 
ner, with  a  turban  on  his  head; 
but  nothing  of  all  these  is  to 
be  called  his  own,  excepting 
two  or  three  yards  of  broad 
cloth,  which  are  given  him,  and 
laid  on  the  saddle  before  him. 
Thus  provided,  he  is  led  on 
the  horse  through  the  various 


streets  of  the  city,  for  several 
hours;  he  is  attended  with 
drums,  and  other  music,  and 
twenty  or  thirty  sergeants,  who 
march  on  each  side  of  the  horse 
with  naked  swords  in  their 
hands.  A  crier  goes  before 
the  procession,  and  with  a  loud 
voice  gives  thanks  to  God  for 
the  new  proselyte.  Shushan  is 
now  called  Suster,  and  is  122 
miles  S.  W.  from  Ispahan.  It 
is  now  a  handsome  and  large 
city,  near  the  mountains,  on 
the  river  Zemayne.  Lat. 
32,  30. 

SIBPAIM,  a  place,  which 
terminated  the  Land  of  Promise 
towards  the  north,  Ezek.  xlvii, 
16,  says,  that  this  city  was  be- 
tween the  confines  of  Hamath, 
and  those  of  Damascus. 

SICHAR,  the  same  as 
Shechem,  now  Naplouse,  the 
Hebrews  give  the  name  of 
Sichar,  that  is,  drunkenness, 
to  this  place  in  derision.  Isaiah 
calls  the  people  of  Ephraim, 
drunkards. 

SIDDIM  vale  of,  once  a 
luxuriant  and  delightful  vale 
in  the  land  of  Judea.  "All  the 
plain  was  well  watered  every 
where  as  the  garden  of  the 
Lord,  like  the  fruitful  land  of 
Egypt,"  "before  the  Lord  de- 
stroyed Sodom  and  Gomor- 
rah," which  rose  in  this  delec- 
table region.  It  is  now  the 
Salt  Sea,  sometimes  called  the 


SID 


SID 


Dead  Sea,  or  sea  of  Asphal- 
tites.  For  Moses  expressly 
informs  us,  that  "these  were 
joined  together  in  the  vale  of 
Siddim,  which  is  [now]  the 
Salt  Sea,"  Gen.  xiv,  3.  The 
same  is  confirmed  Gen.  xix, 
24,  25.  How  far  the  destruc- 
tion of  those  cities  was  miracu- 
lous, or  how  far  effected  by 
natural  means,  it  is  not  perhaps 
very  important  to  inquire. 
Might  not  the  lightning  catch 
the  inflammable  substance  with 
which  those  grounds  abounded, 
and  destroy  the  country?  Saith 
Dr.  Wells,  these  parts  abound- 
ed with  sulphureous  and  saline 
matter  before  the  destruction 
of  Sodom.,  That  they  abound- 
ed with  bitumen,  some  infer 
from  Gen.  xiv,  10,  where  it  is 
said  that  the  vale  of  Siddim 
was  full  of  slime  pits,  the  He- 
brew Chemar,  which  we  ren- 
der slime,  the  seventy  interpre- 
ters render  Asphaltus  or  bitu- 
men. And  the  learned  Bochart, 
has  a  whole  chapter  to  show, 
that  it  ought  to  be  so  rendered. 
But  though  bitumen  is  some- 
times used  to  denote  brim- 
stone, yet  properly  speaking,  it 
is  a  very  different  thing,  and 
the  word  used  by  the  sacred 
historian  to  denote  brimstone, 
is  different,  namely,  go  phrith, 
which  signifies  an  inflammable 
substance,  but  is  not  confined 
to  brimstone,  yet  as  brimstone 


is  a  volcanic   product  >  >n,  the 
rendering  is  not  improper  here. 

On  comparing  passages  of 
natural  history  one  with  the 
other,  it  will  appear  that  bitu- 
men is  found  in  the  richest 
soils;  thus  we  read,  Gen.  xi,  3, 
that  the  builders  of  Babel  had 
brick  for  stone,  and  Chemar 
(which  we  render  slime)  for 
mortar.  Now  the  valley  of 
Shinar,  by  the  agreement  of 
all  writers,  is  represented  as  of 
a  more  than  ordinary  rich  soil. 
In  like  manner  we  read,  Exod. 
ii,  3,  that  the  ark  of  bulrushes 
wherein  Moses  was  put,  was 
daubed  with  Chemar  and  pitch, 
which  the  Septuagint  and  oth- 
er versions  render  bitumen. 
Whence  it  seems  rational  to 
suppose,  that  the  vale  of  Sid- 
dim abounding  with  pits  of 
Chemar  before  its  destruction, 
was  of  a  like  nature  with  the 
vale  of  Shinar,  or  the  parts  of 
Egypt  along  the  Nile,  that  is, 
of  a  very  fruitful  soil. 

Mr.  Maundrel  tells  us,  that 
the  water  of  the  lake  is  salt  to 
the  highest  degree,  and  that 
coming  to  the  lake  or  sea,  he 
passed  through  a  kind  of  cop- 
pice of  bushes  and  reeds.  In 
the  midst  of  which  their  guide, 
who  was  an  Arab,  showed  him 
and  his  companions  a  fountain 
of  fresh  water,  rising  not  a  fur- 
long from  the  sea.  Fresh  wa- 
ter   (says  Mr.    Maundrel)   he 


SID 


SID 


©ailed  it,  but  we  found  it  brack- 
ish. So  that  it  seems  it  is  only 
fresh  comparatively,  that  is,  not 
salt  to  the  highest  degree,  as 
the  sea  itself  is. 

But  when  we  are  told,  Gen. 
xiii,  10,  that  one  motive  which 
induced  Moses  to  prefer  the 
plain  of  Jordan,  particularly 
the  part  about  Sodom,  to  so- 
journ in,  was  its  being  well 
watered,  we  may  rationally 
suppose,  that  the  waters  in  these 
parts  were  then  not  brackish, 
but  fresh.  And  this  may  suf- 
fice to  show,  the  natural  state 
of  the  land  of  Sodom,  and  the 
adjoining  cities  before  their 
overthrow,  and  what  the  same 
became  afterwards,  by  the  ter- 
rible but  just  judgment  of  God 
upon  their  inhabitants. 

Mr.  Maundrel  tells  us,  that 
coming  within  about  half  an 
hour  of  the  sea,  they  found  the 
ground  uneven,  and  varied  in- 
to hillocks,  much  resembling 
those  places  in  England  where 
there  have  been  anciently  lime- 
kilns. Whether  these  might 
be  the  pits,  at  which  the  kings 
of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  were 
overthrown  by  the  four  kings, 
I  will  not  (says  he)  determine. 

SIDE,  a  city  of  Pamphylia. 
The  senate  of  Rome  wrote  to 
the  inhabitants  of  Side,  in  favor 
of  the  Jews,  desiring  them  to 
consider  them  as  friends  and 
allies,   1  Mace,  xv,  23. 

SIDON,  or  Zidon,  a   fa- 


mous city  of  Palestine,  found- 
ed by  Sidon,  the  eldest  son  of 
Canaan,  and  one  of  the  most 
ancient  cities  in  the  world. 
Strabo  places  Zidon  fifty  miles 
from  Berytus,  and  twenty -five 
from  Tyre. 

Joshua,  xi,  8,  calls  it  "Sidon 
the  Great,"  by  way  of  emi- 
nence. Josh,  xix,  28,  assign- 
ed Sidon  to  the  tribe  of  Asher; 
but  this  tribe  could  never  get 
possession  of  it,  nor  of  the  other 
maritime  towns  of  its  territory, 
Judg.  i,  31.  It  is  situate  up- 
on the  Mediterranean,  in  a  fine 
country,  one  day's  journey 
from  Paneas,  or  from  the  foun- 
tains of  Jordan,  and  has  a  fine 
harbor.  Abulfeda  places  it  six- 
ty-six miles,  or  twenty-two 
leagues,  from  Damascus.  This 
city  has  been  always  famous 
for  its  great  trade  and  naviga- 
tion. At  present  it  is  called 
Zaide.  There  are  extant  some 
ancient  medals  of  Zidon,  on 
which  are  seen  ancient  Phoeni- 
cian characters,  which  are  the 
same  as  the  Hebrew,  and  which 
were  used  by  the  Jews  before 
the  captivity  of  Babylon.  The 
principal  deities  of  the  Zidoni- 
ans  were  Baal,  and  Astarte,  or 
the  sun  and  moon:  they  also 
worshipped  Hercules.  The 
Hebrews  have  often  fallen  into 
the  idolatry  of  the  Phoenicians, 
especially  after  Ahab,  king  of 
Israel,  married  Jezebel. 

Once   this    city    surpassed 


SID 


SID 


Tyre  itself;  having  for  ages 
enjoyed  an  immense  maritime 
commerce,  it  was  the  most  op- 
ulent city  in  the  world.  The 
sacred  writer  knew  not  how  to 
express  a  life  of 'ease  and  pleas- 
art  more  forcibly  than  to  say, 
"living  after  the  manner  of  the 
Zidonians."  They  were  the 
most  celebrated  shipbuilder's; 
"none  were  skilled  to  hew  tim- 
ber like  the  Zidonians."  The 
Sidonians  were  the  principal 
architects  of  Solomon  in  build- 
ing the  temple.  In  other  arts 
they  were  equally  distinguish- 
ed.    Thev  are  said  to  be  the 

0 

first  people  in  the  world  who 
made  crystal  glass.      She  was 
the  mother  of  Tyre.  The  place 
is  very  secure  from  its  situation, 
and  has  been  strongly  fortified. 
Notwithstanding  all  this  pros- 
perity ,  pleasure,  and  glory,  the 
prophets  Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  Joel, 
and  Zcchariah,  foretold  the  ru- 
in of  this  city.    "Behold  I  am 
against  thee,  Oh  Zidon,  and  I 
will  be  glorified  in  the  midst  of 
thee,  and  they  shall  know  that 
I  am   the   Lord,  when  I  shall 
have    executed  judgments  in 
her;  f  jr  I  will  send  pestilence 
and  blood  into  her  streets,  and 
the  wounded  shall  be  judged  in 
the  midst  of  her,  by  the  sword 
upon  her,  on  every  side."  This 
was  accomplished  in  the  time 
of  Ochus,  king  of  Persia;  that 
monarch  having  come  against 


them  with  an  army,  on  account 
of  their  rebellion,  the  city  was 
betrayed  by  her  own  king;  the 
wretched  inhabitants  were  seiz- 
ed with   despair;    they  set  fire 
to  rheir  own  houses,  and  forty- 
thousand,  with  their  wives,  and 
their  children,  perished  in  the 
flames.       According   to    Mr. 
Bruce's  account,  the  harbor  is 
now  filled  with  sand,  and  the 
ancient  pavements  of  the  town 
are  covered  more  than  seven 
feet  deep  with  dirt  and  rubbish. 
Mr.  Volney  says,  that  it  is  now 
an  ill  built,  dirty  city;  its  length 
along  the  sea  is  six  hundred 
paces,  its  depth  back   is   one 
hundred  and  fifty.      The  wall 
of  the  town  is  no  better  than 
that  of  a  prison.     The  garri- 
son amounts  to  scarcely  a  hun- 
dred  men.      It  is,  however,  a 
place    of   considerable    traffic, 
being  the  chief  port  of  Damas- 
cus,  and  the  interior  country. 
Their  exports   now   are   silk, 
and  cotton.     The  chief  manu- 
facture is  cotton.     The  harbor 
is   so  choaked  up,   that    only- 
boats  can  enter.     The  popula- 
tion may  be  5,000.       It  is  45 
miles    west   from    Damascus. 
Copin  says,    the    Turks  have 
fourteen    mosques  here;     the 
Greeks,   the  Latins,  and  Ma- 
ronites    have    each    a   church. 
Lat.  33,  40,  long.  36,  7. 

SIHOR,  or  Sh ichor, a  word 
which  literally  signifies  trouble, 


SIL 


SIM 


and  the  name  by  which  some 
writers,  think  the  river  Nile  is 
sometimes  called  in  scripture; 
its  waters  being  generally 
troubled  or  turbid,  Josh,  xiii, 
3;  and  Jer.  ii,  18.  But  in  our 
opinion  it  is  more  probably  a 
smaller  river,  which  falls  into 
the  Mediterranean,  not  far 
from  Gaza.  Not  the  Nile,  savs 
Dr.  Adam  Clark,  but  a  stream 
on  the  border  of  Egypt,  near 
the  isthmus  of  Suez.  Lat, 
31,  27. 

SIHOR  LIBNATH,  a  place 
which  cannot  be  far  from  Car- 
mel,  Josh,  xix,  26.     Some  are 
of  opinion,  it   is  a  city  in  the 
western   part   of  the    tribe    of 
Asher.     Mr.  Reland  imagines, 
it  may  be  either  the  city  or  the 
river    of     Crocodiles,     which 
Pliny  and  Strabo,  place  in  this 
country;    and    Calmet    thinks 
Libnath  to  be  the    white   pro- 
montory, between  Ecdippe  and 
Tyre;  and    Sihor  to  be  a  rivu- 
let in  this  canton.     See  Sihor. 
SILOAM,  a  fountain  under 
the  walls  of  Jerusalem,  towards 
the  east,  between  this  city  and 
the  brook  Kedron.     Epiphani- 
us  writes,  that  God  produced 
this  fountain  at  the  request   of 
the  prophet   Isaiah:  but  it  was 
in  being  a  long  time  before  this 
prophet;  and  probably  the  same 
with  the  fountain   Enrogel,  or 
the  Fuller's  fountain,    because 
the  situation  was  the  same,  and 


that  there  was  but  one  fountain 
on  this  side  of  the  city.  See 
Enrogei  Josephus speak  of- 
ten of  the  waters  of  Shiloe,  or 
Siloam.  He  says,  that  when 
Nebuchadnezzar  besieged  Je- 
rusalem, this  fountain  increas- 
ed in  its  water,  and  that  the 
same  thing  happened,  when 
Titus  laid  siege  to  that  city, 
that  it  supplied  the  Roman 
army;  and  furnished  enough 
besides  for  watering  the  gar- 
dens. Isaiah  viii,  6,  insinuates, 
that  its  waters  flowed  gently 
and  without  noise.  "Foras- 
much as  this  people  refuseth 
the  waters  of  Shiloh,  that  go 
softly,"  &c. 

Moconis  says,  that  the  wa- 
ter of  this  fountain  is  a  little 
brackish,  and  has  not  a  good 
taste.  St.  John  speaks  of  the 
pool  of  Siloam,  otherwise  the 
pool  of  Bethesda,  which  was 
supplied  by  the  fountain  of  Si- 
loam. Our  Savior  sent  the 
man  that  was  born  blind,  to 
wash  his  eyes  in  the  pool  of 
Siloam,  John  ix,  7.  See  the 
article  Bethesda.  Formerly, 
a  church  was  built  over  this 
fountain;  but  the  church  has 
gone  to  ruin:  and  a  tanner  now 
steeps  his  skins  in  the  foun- 
tain of  Siloam. 

SIMEON,  the  portion  of 
this  tribe  was  to  the  west  and 
south  of  Judah;  having  Dan, 
and  some  remnants  of  Philis- 


SIM 


SIN 


tines   north  or   north-west,  the 
Mediterranean   westerly,     and 
Arabia  south.     Gaza  and   As- 
kelon  were  seaports  within  this 
tribe.     To  Simeon  and  Levi, 
their  father  had  said,  "I  will  di- 
vide them  in  Jacob  and  scatter 
them  in  Israel."     The  posteri- 
ty of  Simeon,  for  his  sin  in  de- 
stroying the  Shecheniites,  were 
doomed   to   receive  the    most 
barren     portion     of     Canaan, 
"neither    did  all   their    family 
multiply,  like  to  the  children  of 
Judah."       Their  portion    was 
a  dismembered  fragment  from 
the  tribe  of  Judah.     Oppress- 
ed with  want,  among  the  steri  .e 
mountains,  they   went   abroad 
to  conquer  other  lands,  among 
the  mountaias  of  Seir,  and  in 
the  desert    of  Gedor.      Their 
lands  not  supporting  them,  they 
had      recourse     to     literature. 
The  targum  of  Jerusalem,  and 
the    Rabbins     say,     that    the 
scribes  and  the  learned  men  of 
the  land  were  principally  from 
this   tribe.     When    this    tribe 
came  from  Egypt,  their  men 
of  war  amounted  to  59,300,  but 
in    the    wilderness  they    were 
again    numbered,  when    they 
were  found   to  be  reduced  to' 
22,200.      It    seems    probable 
from  this  that  the  tribe  gener- 
ally had  been  peculiarly  guilty 
in  the    wickedness  at  Peor,  as 
well  as  Zimri  their  chief  prince, 
and  that  of  the  24.000  destroy 
58 


ed  at  that  time,  a  great  part  of 
them  might  belong  to  Simeon. 
Few  distinguished  men  belong- 
ed to  this  tribe;  their  means  of 
livelihood  were  small,  and  they 
wandered  to  obtain  a  living. 
At  the  coronation  of  David 
7,100  of  them  were  present. 

SIN,  a  wilderness  on  the 
east  side  of  the  western  gulf,  of 
the  Red  Sea,  and  north-west 
from  Sinai;  lat.  28,  35,  also  as 
some  think  a'  city  of  Egypt, 
now  called  Damietta. 

SINAI,  a  mountain  of  Ara- 
bia Petrea,  on  the  peninsula, 
formed  by  the  two  arms  of  the 
-led  Sea.  It  presents  three 
sublime  summits  of  red  granite, 
mount  Sinai,  mount  Horeb, 
and  St.  Catharine's  mount. 
Here  God  in  thunder  and 
darkness  gave  the  law  to  Israel. 
The  word  used,  Exod.  xx,  18, 
is  very  different  from  that, 
which  generally  denotes  light- 
ning, and  literally  signifies 
fireband,  or  torch,  or  lamp,  and 
here  denotes  the  flaming  trees, 
on  mount  Sinai,  blowing  a- 
round  the  Divine  presence. 
Lightning  is  understood  which 
set  on  fire  the  shrubs  and  trees 
of  the  mountain.  According-- 
ly,  in  the  more  circumstantial 
account  in  the  preceding  chap- 
ter, it  is  said,  "that  mount  Si- 
nai was  altogether  on  a  smoke; 
because  the  Lord  descended 
upon  it  in  Jire,  and  the  smoke 


SIN 


Sift 


thereof  ascended,  as  the  smoke 
of  a  furnace.''''  According 
to  both  Egmont  and  Heyman, 
"a  tree  in  some  measure  re- 
sembling the  tamarisk,  which 
produces  a  very  oily  fruit,  and 
from  which  a  celebrated  oil  is 
pressed,  grows  in  great  quanti- 
ties on  mount  Sinai."  These 
in  a  state  of  conflagration,  must 
have  given  an  awful  pomp  and 
splendor  to  the  giving  of  the 
law.  SeeHarmar^s  Observations. 
But  it  is  evident  from  sev- 
eral places  of  scripture,  that 
mount  Horeb  is  either  an  ad- 
joining mountain,  to  mount 
Sinai,  or  that  they  are  only  two 
different  heads  or  risings,  of 
one,  and  the  same  mountain. 
For  what  is  in  one  passage  of 
scripture  related  as  done  at 
Horeb,  is  in  another  passage 
of  scripture  related  as  done  at 
Sinai.  And  as  in  the  course  of 
the  journeyings  of  the  Israel- 
ites, this  miraculous  bringing 
forth  of  water  out  of  the  rock 
in  Horeb,  is  related  to  have 
been  done  at  Rephidem,  from 
whence  the  Israelites  decamp- 
ing pitched  next  in  the  wilder- 
nesS  of  Sinai,  Exod.  xix,  1,  2; 
so  after  they  were  there  pitch- 
ed or  encamped,  we  read, 
Exod.  xxxiii,  6;  that  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  stript  themselves 
of  their  ornaments  bij  mount 
Horeb;  because  here  they  made 
the  calf,  as  the  Psalmist  tells 
us,  Psalm  cvi,    19.      Arjd  the 


same  is  affirmed  by  Moses, 
Deut.  ix,  8,  9;  also  in  Horeb 
ye  provoked  the  Lord  to  wrath; 
token  I  was  gone  up  into  the 
mount,  (i.  e.  mount  Sinai, )to  re- 
eive  the  tables  of  the  covenant, 
&c.  Nay  the  covenant,  which 
God  made  with  the  Israelites  at 
mount  Sinai  is  also  said  to  be 
made  with  them  in  mount  Ho- 
reb; and  accordingly  the  ten 
commandments,  which  are  set 
down,  Exod.  xx,  as  delivered 
from  mount  Sinai,  are  repeated 
Deut.  v,  as  delivered  from 
mount  Horeb.  Hence  as  it  fol- 
lows,that  the  difference  between 
mount  Horeb  and  Sinai,  can  be 
no  ©ther,  than  above  assigned; 
so  it  follows  also,  that  by  the 
Israelites  removing  their  camp 
from  Rephidem  into  the  wil- 
derness of  Sinai,  can  be  under- 
stood no  more  than  their  re- 
moving from  one  end  or  side  to 
another  of  the  same  mountain, 
or  at  most  from  one  mountain 
to  another  adjoining. 

The  religious  in  these  parts 
do,  (now  at  least,)  distinguish 
mount  Sinai,  which  they  call 
the  mount  of  Moses,  from 
mount  Horeb,  making  them  to 
be  adjoining  mountains,  and 
besides  these,  there  is  a  third, 
which  they  have  a  veneration 
for,  called  by  them  the  moun- 
tain of  St.  Catharine.  On  the 
top  of  this  mountain  is  a  dome, 
under  which  is  a  place,  whith- 
er the   body  of  St.  Catharine, 


SIN 


SIN 


(as  they  tell  you,)  was  brought 
by  angels  immediately  alter 
she  was  beheaded  at  Alexan- 
dria. They  add,  that  the  body 
remained  there  three  hundred 
years;  until  a  good  monk,  hav- 
ing had  in  the  night  a  revela- 
tion, that  the  body  was  on  the 
top  of  the  hill,  went  next 
morning,  with  all  the  religious, 
who  in  procession  brought  it 
down  to  the  monastery,  where 
it  was  put  in  a  fine  silver  shrine, 
that  is  still  there.  But  though 
these  particulars  are  fabulous, 
yet  there  is  one  real  curiosity, 
observed  by  Thevenot,  who 
tells  us,  that  there  are  many 
stones  on  this  mount,  where- 
in trees  are  naturally  represent- 
ed, and  which  if  broken  retain 
the  same  figure  within;  and 
that  some  of  them  are  very 
large. 

During  a  thousand  years, 
says  Thevenot,  the  Greeks 
have  been  in  possession  of  the 
monastery  of  St.  Catharine,  it 
being  given  them  by  the  Greek 
emperor  Justinian.  It  is  a 
great  monastery,  and  very 
strong;  it  had  also  an  annual 
revenue  of  sixty  thousand  dol- 
lars from  Christian  princes. 
They  gave,  (adds  Mr.  San- 
dys,) alms  daily  to  the  Arabs, 
to  be  better  secured  from  out- 
rages,yet  would  not  suiTer  them 
to  enter  the  monastery,  but.  let 
it  down  from  the  embattle- 
ments.     These   monks  have  a 


bishop,  called  the  !;i-shop  of 
mount  Sinai,  on  whom  de- 
pends all  the  convents  and 
chapels  about  that  mountain, 
and  likewise  the  convent  of 
Tor.  This  bishop  depends 
not  on  the  patriarch  of  Alexan- 
dria. 

This  great  monastery  of  St. 
Catharine  stands  at  the  foot  of 
mount  Sinai,  (or  that  which  is 
now  called)  the  mount  of  Mos- 
es. From  which  monastery 
there  were  formerly  steps  up  to 
the  very  top  of  the  mountain, 
computed  fourteen  thousand 
in  number;  at  present  some  of 
them  are  broken,  those  that  re- 
main are  well  made,  and  easy 
to  go  up  and  down.  One  may 
judge  of  the  height  of  St.  Cath- 
arine's mount,  by  this,  which 
certainly,  (says  Thevenot,)  is 
not  so  high  as  that  by  a  third 
part,  and  yet  has  fourteen 
thousand  steps  up  to  the  top. 
There  was  much  snow  both  on 
the  mount  of  Moses,  and  that 
of  St.  Catharine,  when  Theve- 
not was  there,  which  was  in 
February.  There  are  in  sev- 
eral places  of  Moses's  mount, 
good  cisterns,  especially  near 
the  top  was  excellent  water. 
There  are  two  churches  on  it, 
one  for  the  Greeks,  another  for 
the  Latins.  From  the  Greek 
church  you  enter  that  of  lk< 
Latins,  which  is  dedicated  t 
the  ascension  of  our  Lor 
Near  to  that  is  a  little  mosqi 


SIN 


SIN 


and  by  the  side  of  it,  a  hole,  or 
little  cave,  where  you  are 
told,  Moses  fasted  forty  days; 
there  is  a  small  grot  also  at  the 
side  of  the  Latin  church,  where 
Moses  is  said  to  have  hid  him- 
self, when  he  desired  to  see 
God's  face. 

On  the  top  of  this  mount 
Moses  is  thought  to  have  re- 
ceived from  God  the  ten  com- 
mandments, written  on  two  ta- 
bles of  stone.  From  this  place 
one  may  easily  see  down  into 
the  convent  cf  St.  Catharine, 
which  is  at  the  foot  of  the 
mount,  and  as  it  were,  just 
under  those,  who  are  on  the 
top  of  the  mount.  There  you 
see  a  fair  large  church  covered 
with  lead,  where  they  say  the 
body  of  St.  Catherine  is.  Be- 
fore the  door  of  the  church, 
within  the  precincts  of  the 
monastery,  is  a  beautiiul 
mosque.  As  we  were  com- 
ing down,  says  Thevenot,  we 
found  by  the  way  a  great  stone; 
and  as  the  Greeks  say,  this  is 
the  place  to  which  the  prophet 
Elias  came,  when  he  fled  from 
Jezebel.  They  tell  you  that 
Elias  bein^'  come  to  where  this 
stone  is,  an  angel  appeared  to 
him,  and  with  a  rod  smiting 
vhat  great  stone,  made  it  fall 
own  in  the  wa"y,  and  forbade 

lias  to  go  any  further,  tell- 
him,  that  since  Moses  had 
^been  in  the  Holy  Land,  he 


should  not  go  to  the  top  of  this 
mount.  A  little  lower  is  the 
foot  of  a  camel,  so  well  im- 
printed on  the  rock,  that  it 
cannot  be  better  stamped  oh 
the  sand.  The  Moors  and  A- 
rabs  say,  it  is  the  print  of  the 
foot  of  Mahomet's  camel,  which 
is  left  there,  and  they  kiss  it 
with  great  devotion. 

In  several  places  of  the  mount 
we  saw,  says  Thevenot,  little 
chapels  which  have  small 
houses  near  them,  gardens  full 
of  fruit  trees  and  good  water. 
Heretofore  these  places  were 
inhabited  by  hermits;  in  the 
mountains  of  Moses,  in  an- 
cient times,  were  above  four- 
teen thousand.  Afterwards  the 
Greeks  kept  "monks  in  these 
hermitages,  but  at  present  there 
are  none,  because  the  Arabs 
molested  them.  Going  to  see 
the  hermitages,  Thevenot  found 
three  chapels  together,  with  a 
passage  from  one  to  anotheV. 
Behind  the  altar  of  the  third, 
dedicated  to  Elias,  there  is  a 
hole  in  the  rock,  where  Elias 
is  said  to  have  lived,  during 
his  stay  in  the  mount.  At  the 
bottom  of  the  mount  is  the 
great  monastery  of  St.  Catha- 
rine, well  built,  of  good  free- 
stone, with  very  high  smooth 
walls.  On  the  east  side  is  a 
window,  by  which  those  with- 
in, draw  up  pilgrims  into  the 
monasterv,  with  a  basket, which 


SIN 


SIN 


they  let  down  by  a  rope,  that 
runs  in  a  pulley  placed  above 
at  the  window.  By  the  same 
place  they  also  let  down  vic- 
tuals to  tlie  Arabs.  They 
only  open  the  door  of  the  con- 
vent to  admit  their  bishop. 

From  the  top  of  Sinai  the 
prospect  is  various  and  roman- 
tic.     To  the    south-west  ex- 
tends the  valley  of  Rephidem, 
where    the   people    of    Israel, 
murmured  for  water,   and  re- 
ceived a  supply  from  the  flinty 
rock,  beyond  which  towers  the 
summit    of    mount    Catharine 
and    Nebo.      More    southerly 
extend  the  waters  of  the  Red 
Sea      The  monks  have  a  spa- 
cious garden,  to  which   there 
is    a    subterraneous     passage 
from  their  dwelling.  This  gar- 
den is  well  watered,  and  richly 
supplied     with    plants,    trees, 
and  fruit.       In  the  convent  is 
a  church,  80  feet  long,  and  53 
broad,  having  chapels  on  each 
side.     Besides  this  church  and 
its  chapels,  there  are  17  other 
little  churches  or  chapels,  vnear 
this  spot.     After  we  had  de- 
scended with  no  small  difficul- 
ty, saith  Dr.  Shaw,  the  west- 
ern   side  of  mount   Sinai,  we 
came  into  another  plain  formed 
by  it,  which  is  Rephidem.  Here 
we  still  see  that  extraordinary 
antiquity,  the  rock  of  Meribah, 
which  hath  continued  down  to 
this  day,  without  the  least  in- 


jury from  time  or  accident.  It 
is  a  block  of  granite  marble, 
about  six  yards  square,  that 
lies  tottering  as  it  were,  in  the 
middle  of  the  valley,  and  seems 
to  have  formerly  belonged  to 
mount  Sinai.  The  waters  which 
gushed  out,  and  the  stream 
which  flowed,  Psalm  Ixxviii, 
20,  have  hollowed  across  one 
corner  of  this  rock  a  channel 
about  two  inches  deep  and 
twenty  wide,  appearing  to  be 
encrusted  all  over,  like  the  in- 
side of  a  tea  kettle,  which  has 
long  been  in  use.  Besides, 
we  see  all  over  this  channel,  a 
great  number  of  holes,  some 
of  them  four  or  five  inches 
deep,  and  one  or  two  in  diam- 
eter, the  lively  and  demonstra- 
tive tokens  of  their  having 
formerly  been  so  many  foun- 
tains..   Shawns  Travels. 

SINAI,  desert  of;  that  which 
lies  around  mount  Sinai.  The 
Israelites  encamped  here  a  long 
time;  here  they  received  the 
law;  here  Jethro,  the  father-in- 
law  of  Mosgs,  came  to  the 
camp,  and  brought  him  his 
wife  and  children;  here  h»  ad- 
vised Moses  to  appoint  judges 
to  decide  small  matters  of  con- 
trovers}'.  This  judicature,  it 
is  thought  became  the  cele- 
brated Sanhedrim.  The  San- 
hedrim, or  general  council  of 
the  Jewish  nation,  consisted  of 
seventy  senators,   who  assem- 


SIN 


SIN 


bled  together  at  fixed  times,  in 
order  to  determine  the  most 
important  affairs  of  their  church 
and  state.  The  high  priest  was 
their  settled  president,  and  for 
that  reason  called  Nasi,  or 
prince  of  the  Sanhedrims:  in 
his  absence  there  was  a  deputy 
called  Abbeth-din,  which  sis:- 
limes,  father  of  the  house  of 
judgment;  as  also  a  sub-deputy, 
called  Chacam,  i.  e.  the  Wise; 
but  all  the  rest  had  the  com- 
mon name  of  Elders  or  Sena- 
tors. These  senators  were  tak- 
en partly  from  among  ihe 
priests  and  Levites,  and  partly 
out  of  the  number  of  the  infe- 
rior judges,  who  formed  what 
they  called  the  Lesser  Sanhe- 
drim. They  were  all  to  be 
men  of  untainted  birth,  good 
learning,  and  profound  knowl- 
edge in  the  law,  both  written 
and  traditional.  All  eunuchs, 
and  such  as  had  any  bodily 
deformity,  were  excluded  from 
the  Sanhedrim;  as  also  usurers, 
gamesters,  and  such  as  made  a 
gain  of  their  fruits  in  the  Sab- 
batical year.  In  short,  those  on- 
ly were  to  be  admitted  members 
of  this  council  who  were  of 
mature  age,  had  competent  for- 
tunes, and  were  comely  in 
their  persons.  The  room  in 
which  this  council  met,  was  a 
rotunda,  half  of  which  'was 
built  without  the  temple,  and 
half  within.  The  Nasi,  or  prince 


of  the  council,  sat  upon  a 
throne,  elevated  above  the  rest, 
at  the  upper  end  of  the  room, 
having  his  deputy  on  his  right 
hand,  and  his  sub-deputy  on 
the  left.  The  senators  were 
ranged  in  order  on  each  side, 
and  by  them,  sat  the  secreta- 
ries, who  were  three  in  num- 
ber. One  of  these  secretaries 
kept  a  register  of  such  as  were 
absolved,  the  second  had  the 
care  of  those  who  were  con- 
demned to  die,  and  the  third 
registered  the  several  pleadings 
of  all  contending  parties.  The 
authority  of  the  great  Sanhe- 
drim was  very  extensive.  The 
council  decided  all  causes 
brought  before  them,  by  way 
of  appeal,  from  the  inferior 
courts.  The  right  of  judging, 
in  capital  cases,  belonged  to 
this  court  only,  nor  could  sen- 
tence of  death  be  pronounced 
in  any  other  place.  In  short, 
all  private  controversies  of  dif- 
ficult discussion,  all  matters  re- 
lating to  religion,  and  all  im- 
portant affairs  of  state,  were 
submitted  to  the  determination 
of  this  august  assembly,  from 
whose  sentence  no  appeal  could 
be  made. 

The  formality  to  be  observ- 
ed in  bringing  a  law-suit  be- 
fore the  Sanhedrim,  is  thus 
described  by  Maimonides. 
"The  business,  (says  he,)  was 
first  to  be  examined  in  the  in- 


SIN 


SIN 


ferior  courts;  but  if  it  could 
not  be  decided  there,  the 
judges  sent  to  Jerusalem, 
to  consult  the  judgment 
chamber,  that  sat  upon  the 
mount  of  the  temple.  From 
this  tribunal,  they  proceeded 
to  that  which  sat  at  the  temple 
gate;  and  if  the  matter  was  not 
determined  there,  they  came 
at  last  to  the  great  council 
chamber,  which  was  held  in 
one  of  the  apartments  belong- 
ing to  the  temple;  and  this  last 
council  determined  with  so 
much  justice  and  authority, 
that  there  were  no  divisions 
seen,  during  all  the  time  that 
the  sacred  temple  lasted.  Ac- 
cording to  the  Jewish  doctors, 
great  caution  was  taken  by  this 
tribunal,  in  passing  the  sentence 
of  death  upon  criminals;  and 
such  was  the  lenity  used  by 
them,  that  even  after  condem- 
nation, if  any  circumstance  ap- 
peared favorable,  in  behalf  of 
the  culprit,  he  escaped  the 
punishment  allotted  him.  The 
manner  in  which  they  describe 
the  nature  of  these  proceedings 
is  as  follows.  After  the  wit- 
nesses were  heard,  say  they, 
and  the  matter  in  question  de- 
cided, the  judge  put  off  the 
sentence,  till  the  next  morn- 
ing. The  members  of  the 
Sanhedrim  then  went  home, 
eat  but  little,  drank  no  wine, 
and  met  again,  two  and  two, 


in  order  to  weigh  all  the  par- 
ticulars of  the  trial.  The  next 
morning,  he  that  had  given  his 
opinion  for  condemning  of  the 
criminal,  had  power  to  revoke 
it,  but  he  who  had  once  given 
his  opinion  for  absolving  him, 
could  not  alter  his  mine!.  As 
soon  as  the  judge  had  pro- 
nounced sentence,  the  male- 
factor was  conducted  to  the 
place  of  execution,  while  an 
herald  on  horseback,  proclaim- 
ed as  he  went  along,  'Such  an 
one  is  condemned  for  such  a 
crime,  but  if  any  one  can  sav 
any  thing  in  his  behalf,  let  him 
now  speak.'  If  it  happened 
that  any  one  came  to  the  gate 
of  the  court  of  the  temple,  the 
door  keeper  gave  intimation 
to  the  herald  to  bring  back 
the  prisoner,  while  two  judges 
were  appointed  to  hear  what 
his  friend  had  to  say  in  his 
behalf,  and  to  consider,  wheth- 
er there  was  anything  material 
in  it.  If  there  was,  the  crimi- 
nal was  yet  at  liberty,  but  if 
not,  he  underwent  the  sentence, 
that  had  been  pronounced  a- 
gainst  him." 

It  has  been  a  matter  of  great 
controversy  among  the  learned, 
at  what  time  this  Sanhedrim, 
or  great  council  of  the  Jewish 
nation,  was  firstv  instituted; 
some  of  the  Jewish  doctors 
tracing  it  as  far  back  as  the 
time  of  Moses.     But  on  a  cir- 


SIN 


SIN 


cumspect   view   of  the  argu- 
ments on  both  sides  the  ques- 
tion,  it  evidently  appears   not 
to    have    commenced  till    the 
time   of  the    Maccabees,   and 
that  either  Judas  or  his  broth- 
er Jonathan,  was  the  institutor 
of  it.     The   most    substantial 
authority    for  this  supposition 
is,  that  there  are  not  any  foot- 
steps  to  be   found,    either    in 
sacred  or    profane  history,   of 
such    an    assembly,    previous 
to  the  time  of  the  Maccabees, 
when  we  read  of   it  as  being 
the  senate  of  the    nation,  and 
that  it  grew  into  great  power, 
which  it  preserved  many  years 
after.     It  was  the  highest  court 
during  our  Savior's  ministry, 
and  matters  of  the  highest  im- 
portance   were    committed   to 
their  determination.      In    this 
state    it    continued    for   some 
time   after,  till    at    length   by 
the  final  destruction  of  Jeru- 
salem, and    the    dispersion  of 
the   Jewish    nation,  the  name 
and  authority  of    that  senate, 
was  in  a    short    time  entirely 
lost.     Kimptorf s  History  of  the 
Bib'?. 

SiNIM.  This  place  is  men- 
tioned, Isaiah  xlix,  12.  Per- 
haps it  would  be  prudent  to 
pass  by  this  article  in  silence, 
as  many  writers  have  done;  but 
I  presume  this  is  one  instance 
among  others,  which  shews 
the  information  of    the  sacred 


writers  in  Geography,  was  su- 
perior to  the  most  enlightened 
pagan    writers,   whose   works 
have  come   down  to    us.     In- 
deed, we  think,    it  is  not  one 
of  the   least   remarkable  char- 
acteristics of  the  sacred     vol- 
ume, that  whenever  any  branch 
of  science    is  incidently    men- 
tioned or  referred  to,  there  is  al- 
ways implied  a  superior  knowl- 
edge of  the  subject.     If  we  ex- 
amine the   word,  and  the   con- 
nexioji   in    which  the  prophet 
uses  it,  perhaps,  it  will  be  evi- 
dent, that  he   referred  to    the 
immense  empire  of  China.     It 
is    certain    that    the    Chinese 
books  speak  of  their  country 
under  the    appellation  of  Sin, 
which    is    sometimes    spelled 
Tsin.     This  is  and  has  been  its 
name  for  two   thousand  years, 
and  how  much  longer,  we  can- 
not say.     By  this  name,  China 
was  first  known  in  Europe;  in 
books  of  voyages    and  travels, 
we  read   of   Sin,  Smica,    and 
Sinenses.     Look  at  the  proph- 
ecy ,  every  thing  respecting  it, 
is  favorable  to  such  an  enlarg- 
ed   application.     It    was    the 
most     illustrious      prediction, 
ever  uttered  by  the  tongue   of 
a  prophet.     Nay,    the  pronhet 
seems  to  be  silent;  the  Messiah 
is  introduced  in    person.     In- 
stead   of  confining  himself  to 
the  lost  house  of  Israel,  instead 
of  addressing   the  diminutive 


SIN 


SIN 


tribes  of  Palestine,  he  raises 
his  voice,  and  in  strains  of 
moving  eloquence,  addresses 
the  Gentiles,  the  great  family 
of  man  "hearken  unto  me,  O 
ye  distant  lands;  ye  people,  at- 
tend from  afar."  He  offers 
himself  "a  light  to  the  nations, 
and  salvation  to  the  end  of  the 
earth."  His  people  "shall 
come  from  the  north,  and  the 
west,  and  from  the  land  of  Si- 
nim."  They  come  from  "afar," 
the  extreme  north  and  west. 
Sinim,  is  placed  in  opposition 
to  the  west.  It  must  there- 
fore be  as  far  east  as  possible, 
"the  end  of  the  earth."  Does 
not  this  describe  China,  Sin, 
Sinim? 

Indeed,  the  Chinese  seem  to 
have  received  some  scattered 
beams  from  the  lamp  of  Revela- 
tion. According  to  their  tra- 
ditions; "in  the  deep  gloom  of 
night- the  heavens  were  formed; 
the  foundations  of  the  earth 
were  then  laid;  the  atmosphere 
was  then  diffused  round  the 
habitable  globe,  and  last  of  all 
man  was  created."  Dots  not 
this  comport  with  the  Mosaic 
history?  They  give  some  ac- 
count of  the  deluge,  and  the 
state  of  man  before  his  expul- 
sion from  Eden.  "While  the 
first  state  of  heaven  lasted,"  say 
their  sacred  books,  "a  pure 
pleasure  and  a  perfect  tran- 
quiilitv  reigned  over  all  nature. 
59 


There  was  neither  labor,  nor 
pain,  nor  sorrow,  nor  guilt* 
Nothing  made  opposition  to 
the  will  of  man.  Every  thing 
was  beautiful,  every  thing  was 
good;  all  beings  were  perfect  in 
their  kind."  The  philoso- 
phers, who  adopt  these  tradi- 
tions say,  "that  man  was  united 
internally  to  the  supreme  rea- 
son, and  that  he  practised  all 
the  external  duties  of  justice. 
Then  were  no  excessive  rains, 
or  impetuous  winds;  the  sun 
and  moon  were  never  invelop- 
ed  in  clouds;  the  planets  kept 
their  course,  universal  love 
and  harmony  reigned."  Their 
account  of  the  subsequent  con- 
dition is  entirely  different, 
"The  pillars  of  ruaven  were 
broken,  the  earth  shook  to  it& 
foundations;  the  heavens  sunk 
lower  towards  the  north,  the 
sun,  the  moon,  and  planets 
changed  their  motions — the 
grand  harmony  of  nature,  was 
disturbed."  They  say,  the 
heavens  sunk  lower  towards 
the  north;  i.  e.  perhaps  at  the 
delude.  Is  the  inclination  of 
the  earth's  axis  here  hinted  at, 
which  produces  the  diversity 
of  seasons?  The  variety  of  the 
seasons,  is  never  mentioned  till 
after  the  flood;  that  the  early 
ages  enjoyed  a  perpetual  spring 
is  a  general  tradition. 

Martinius   asserts,    that   a 
report  had  prevailed  in  China, 


SIN 

that  when  a  rare   animal,    the 
Kilin,  appeared,  a  hero  of  great 
sanctity  would  come  and  bring 
glad  tidings  of  great  joy  to  all 
nations.       Confucius     having 
learned  that  this  animal  had  ap- 
peared, and  been  slain,  he  wept, 
and  exclaimed,  "My  doctrine 
approaches  its  termination;    I 
give  place  to  a  Legislator,  who 
will    cause    wars    to   cease." 
This  period  corresponds  with 
the  birth  of  Jesus  in  Bethlehem. 
Kilin,    denotes    the  Lamb    of 
God.     The  tears  of  Confucius 
were  those  of  excessive  joy. 
"The  holy  man,"  he  exclaim- 
ed, "exists  in  the  west."     A 
universal  expectation  of  such  a 
Personage  prevailed  among  the 
nations.      The  Roman  histori- 
ans announced  the  fact.  In  the 
Gothic  mythology,  Thor  is  re- 
presented as  the  first  born  of 
the  supreme  God,  and  is  styled 
in  the  Edda,  the  eldest  of  sons; 
he  was  esteemed  "a  middle  di- 
vinity, a  mediator  between  God 
and  man."    With  regard  to  his 
actions,    he    is   said    to    have 
wrestled  with  death,  and  in  the 
struggle,  to  have  been  brought 
upon  one  knee;  to  have  bruised 
the  head  of  the  great  serpent 
with  his  mace;  and  in  his  final 
engagement  with  that  monster, 
to  have  beat  him  to  the  earth 
and  slain  him.      The  victory 
however  is  not  obtained,  but  at 
the  expense  of   his  own   life. 


SIN 

"Recoiling  back  nine  steps,  he 
falls  dead  uppn  the  spot,  suffo- 
cated with  the  floods  of  venom, 
which  the  serpent  vomits  forth 
upon  him." 

The  resemblance  between 
this  tradition,  and  the  original 
promise,  that  the  Seed  of  the 
woman,  should  bruise  the  ser- 
pent's head,  and  that  the  serpent 
should  bruise  his  heel,  is  suffi- 
ciently obvious;  to  enter  into 
a  more  minute  comparison  is 
unnecessary. 

Much  the  same  notion,  we 
are  informed,  is  prevalent  in 
the  mythology  of  the  Hindoos. 
Two  sculptured  figures  are  yet 
extant,  in  one  of  their  oldest 
pagodas,  the  former  of  which 
represents  Chreeshna,  an  incar- 
nation of  their  mediatorial  God, 
Vishnu,  trampling  on  the 
crushed  head  of  the  serpent; 
while  in  the  latter,  it  is  seen 
encircling  the  deity  in  its  folds, 
and  biting  his  heel. 

A  tradition  of  a  similar  na- 
ture, appears  to  have  been  fa- 
miliar to  the  Chinese,  though 
like  Virgil  in  his  Pollio,  they 
misapplied  it  to  the  reign  of 
one  of  their  sovereigns.  "At 
that  time,"  says  a  Chinese  his- 
torian, "a  celestial  spirit,  pas- 
sing about  in  all  directions, 
gradually  introduced  civiliza- 
tion, and  softened  the  native 
ferocity  of  man.  This  was 
effected  the  more  easily,  since 


SIN 


SIN 


the  dragon,  which  disturbed 
the  whole  world,  by  confound- 
ing heaven  and  earth  together, 
had  been  slain.  For  after  his 
destruction  matters  were  ar- 
ranged, each  according  to  his 
own  proper  rank  and  dignity." 

In  short,  whether  we  con- 
sult the  religion  of  the  Greeks, 
the  Goths,  or  the  Hindoos,  we 
every  where  meet  with  a  sort  of 
mediatorial  deity,  engaged  in 
combat  with  an  envenomed 
serpent.  Hercules  and  Apollo, 
ThorandChreeshna,seem  all  to 
be  the  same  mythological  per- 
sonage; all  to  be  corruptions  of 
the  grand  primeval  declaration, 
"that  the  Seed  of  the  woman 
should  bruise  the  head  of  the 
serpent." 

A  few  of  those  traditions  of 
the  promised  Savior,  which  are 
unconnected  with  the  history 
of  the  serpent,  shall  now  be 
taken  into  consideration. 

It  is  said,  that  Zeradusht,  or 
Zoroaster,  predicted  in  the 
Zendavesta,  that  in  the  latter 
days  would  appear  a  man  called 
Oshanderbegha,  who  was  des- 
tined to  bless  the  eanh,  by  the 
introduction  of  justice  and  re- 
ligion. That  in  his  time  would 
likewise  appear  a  malignant 
demon,  who  would  oppose  his 
plans,  and  trouble  his  empire, 
for  the  space  of  twenty  years. 
That  afterwards,  Osiderbegha, 
would  revive  the  practice  of 
justice,  put  an  end  to  injuries, 


and  re-establish  such  customs 
as  are  immutable  in  their  na- 
ture. That  kings  should  be 
obedient  to  him,  and  advance 
his  affairs;  that  the  cause  of  true 
religion  should  flourish;  that 
peace  and  tranquillity  should 
prevail;  and  discord  and  trouble 
cease. 

From  whatever  source  this 
singular  opinion  may  have  orig- 
inated, the  Christian  is  led,  al- 
most involuntarily,  to  compare 
the  manifestation  of  Oshander- 
begha, with  the  first  advent  of 
the  Messiah,  and  the  appear- 
ance of  Osiderbegha,  with  ,that 
awful  day,  when  the  victorious 
Son  of  God,  shall  descend  from 
heaven  with  a  shout,  and  com- 
mence his  triumphant  reign  of 
a  thousand  years.  It  may  per- 
haps  be  too  presumptuous  to 
asserj,  that  Zeradusht,  was  di- 
vinely inspired,  when  he  deliv- 
ered this  remarkable  prediction; 
yet  even,  if  such  a  supposition 
should  be  adopted,  it  will  not 
be  devoid  of  precedent  in  the 
sacred  volume.  The  prophe- 
cies of  Baalaam,  were  when 
delivered,  of  the  most  luminous 
description,  and  yet  stand  up- 
on record,  and  prove  indispu- 
tably, that  the  Almighty  was 
sometimes  pleased  to  make 
even  Pagan  Seers  subservient 
to  his  purposes,  by  employing 
them  to  reveal  his  purposes  of 
mercy  to  mankind. 
AccordingtoAbulpharagius, 


SID 


SMY 


the  Persian  'legislator  wrote  of 
the  Advent  oi  the  Messiah,  in 
terms  even  more  express,  than 
those  contained  in  the  forego- 
ing prediction.  "Zeradusht," 
says  he,  "the  preceptor  of  the 
Magi,  taught  the  Persians  con- 
cerrjing  the  manifestation  of 
Christ,  and  ordered  them  to 
bring  gifts  to  him,  in  token  of 
their  reverence  and  submission. 
Be  declared  that  in  the  latter 
days,  a  pure  virgin  would  con- 
ceive; and  that  as  soon  as  the 
child  was  born,  a  star  would 
appear,  blazing  even  at  noon- 
day with  undiminished  lustre. 
"You,  my  sons,"  exclaims  the 
venerable  seer,  "will  perceive 
its  rising,  before  any  other  na- 
tion. As  soon  therefore  as  you 
shall  behold  the  star,  follow  it 
withersoever  it  shall  lead  you, 
and  adore  that  mysterious  Child, 
offering  your  gifts  to  him  with 
the  profoundesthumility.  Here 
is  the  Almighty  Word,  which 
creatrd  the  heavens.  Horce 
Mosaic 'eg,  by  Faber. 

SINITES,  the  Smites  dwelt 
near  Arce  in  mount  Libanus. 
They  were  descendants  of  Ca- 
naan. 

SIGN.  This  is  one  of  the 
names  of  mount  Hermon, 
peut.  iv,  48,  It  is  probably 
of  this  mountain  that  the  Psalm- 
ist speaks,  Psalm  exxxiii,  3, 
"As  the  dew  of  Heimon,  and 
as  the  dew  that  descended  up- 
on  the    mountains   of  Zion;" 


which  is  thought  to  be  put  for 
Sion.  The  union  and  the  good 
understanding  of  the  priests 
and  Levites,  is  as  agreeable  as 
the  dew  which  falls  upon  Her- 
mon and  Zion,  two  contiguous 
mountains,  which  make  only 
one  chain  of  mountains.  See 
Hermon. 

SIPHMOTH,the  place  where 
David  sent  the  spoils  he  had 
taken  from  the  Amalekites,  1 
Sam.  xxx,  28. 

S IRION,  the  name,  that  the 
Sidonians  gave  to  mount  Her- 
mon. Deut.  hi,  9.  See  Hermon. 

SITNA,  the  name,  which 
Isaac  gave  a  well,  which  he 
dug  in  Gerar,  Gen.  xxvi,  21. 

SMYRNA,  a  city  of  Asia 
Minor,  upon  the  Archipelago, 
having  a  fine  harbor.  St.  John 
the  Evangelist,  in  his  Revela- 
tion, or  rather  Jesus  Christ, 
by  the  mouth  of  St.  John, 
thus  speaks  to  the  angel  or 
bishop  of  Smyrna,  Rev.  ii,  9, 
"I  know  thy  works,  and  trib- 
ulation, and  poverty,  (but  thou 
art  rich). — -Fear  none  of  those 
things  which  thou  shaft  suffer: 
behold,  the  devil  shall  cast 
some  of  you  into  prison,  that 
ye  may  be  tried;  and  ye  shall 
have  tribulation  ten  days:  be 
thou  faithful  unto  death,  and  I 
will  give  thee  a  crown  of  life.'1 
It  is  asked,  who  this  angel,  or 
riishop  of  Smyrna  was?  the 
generality  think  it  was  Poly- 
carp,  who  was  made  bishop  of 


SMY 


SMY 


Smyrna  by  St.  John,  the  evan- 
gelist; and  there  is  some  pro- 
bability, that  it  was  the  martyr- 
dom of  Germanicus,  and  of  the 
other  martyrs  of  Smyrna,  who 
suffered  under  Marcus  Aureli- 
us,  that  St.  John  has  here  in 
view,  when  he  says,  "that  the 
devil  shall  cause  some  of  them 
to  be  put  in  prison."  The 
tomb  of  this  faithful  minister 
and  martyr  is  still  shewn  to 
travellers.  One  of  them  says, 
in  our  descent  to  the  south- 
east, we  entered  the  amphithe- 
atre, where  St.  Polycarp,  the 
first  bishop  of  this  city,  was 
martyred.  In  the  sides  are 
still  to  be  seen  the  two  caves, 
opposite  to  each  other,  where 
they  used  to  enclose  their  lions; 
fighting  with  beasts  being  in 
ancient  times  the  great  diver- 
sion of  the  people  in  this  coun- 
try, to  this  they  generally  con- 
demned their  slaves,  and  espe- 
cially the  poor  Christians.  On 
the  side  of  the  hill,  but  some- 
what lower,  is  the  sepulchre  of 
this  great  saint, Polycarp,  which 
the  Greeks  solemnly  visit,  up- 
on the  anniversary  festival, 
consecrated  to  his  memory. 
This  custom  has  been  contin- 
ued almost  from  the  time  of 
his  martyrdom.  Eusebius  says, 
book  iv,  chap.  15,  "So  we  gath- 
ered his  bones,  more  precious 
than  pearls,  and  better  tried 
than  gold,  and  buried  them  in 


the  place  which  was  fit  for  the 
purpose,  where,  (God  willing) 
we  being  gathered  togeth*  r, 
the  Lord  will  grant,  that  wi$i 
joy  and  gladness,  we  may  t 
brate  the  birth-day  of  his  mar- 
tyr, both  for  the  remembrance 
of  such  as  have  been  crowned 
before,  and  to  the  stirring  up 
of  such  as  shall  strive."  The 
poor  Greek  Christians  are  care- 
ful to  keep  the  tomb  of  this 
martyr  in  handsome  repair. 

The  town  extends  along  the 
shore,  about  half  a  mile  on  a 
e;entle  declivitv.  The  houses 
of  the  English,  French,  and 
Dutch  consuls,  are  handsome 
structures,  these,  with  most  of 
these  occupied  by  the  Chris- 
tian merchants,  are  washed  on 
one  side  by  the  sea,  forming  a 
streetnamed  Frank-street,  from 
its  beingsolely  inhabited  by  Eu- 
ropean Christians.  In  the  year 
1763,  the  whole  of  this  quar- 
ter was  consumed  by  fire:  the 
Iost  sustained  by  this  calamity 
in  merchandize,  was  estimated 
at  a  million  and  a  half  of  Turk- 
ish dollars,  or  near  /.200,000 
sterling.  The  port  is  one  of 
the  finest  of  the  Levant,  it  be- 
ing able  to  contain  the  largest 
fleet,  and  indeed  there  are  sel- 
dom in  it  less  than  100  ships 
of  different  nations. 

A  castle  stands  at  its  entrance, 
and  commands  all  the  shipping, 
which  sail  in,  or  out.     There 


SMY 


SMY 


is  likewise  an  old  ruinous  cas- 
tle, near  a  mile  in  circumfer- 
ence, which  stands  in  the  up- 
per part  of  the  city,  and  ac- 
cording to  tradition,  was  built 
by  Helena:  and  near  it  is  an 
ancient  structure,  said  to  be 
the  remains  of  a  palace,  where 
the  Greek  council  was  held, 
when  Smyrna  was  the  metro- 
polis of  Asia  Minor. 

This  city  is  about  four  miles 
in  circumference,  and  nearly 
of  a  triangular  form;  but  the 
side,  next  the  mountain  is 
much  longer,  than  the  other 
sides.  The  houses  are  low,  and 
mostly  built  with  clay  walls,  on 
account  of  the  earthquakes  to 
which  the  country  is  subject; 
but  the  caravansaras,  and  some 
other  of  the  public  buildings 
have  an  air  of  magnificence. 
The  streets  are  wide,  and  al- 
most a  continued  bazar,  in 
which  a  great  part  of  the  mer» 
chandize  of  Europe  and  Asia 
is  exposed  to  sale,  with  plenty 
of  provisions;  though  these  are 
not  so  cheap,  as  in  many  other 
parts  of  Turkey,  on  account 
of  the  populousnessof  the  place, 
and  the  great  resort  of  foreign- 
ers. Smyrna  is  said  to  contain 
15,000  Turks,  10,000  Greek 
Christians,  1,800  Jews,  200 
Armenians,  and  200  PVanks. 
The  Turks  have  19  mosques; 
2  churches  belonging  to  the 
Greeks,  one  to  the  Armenians, 


and  the  Jews  have  8  syna- 
gogues. The  Romanists  have 
3  convents;  there  is  also  one,  of 
the.  fathers,  Delia  Terra  Santa. 
Here  resides  an  archbishop  of 
the  Greek  church;  a  Latin  bish- 
op, who  has  a  salary  from 
Rome,  with  the  title  of  bishop  of 
Smyrna,  in  partibus  injidelium, 
and  the,  English  and  Dutch  fac- 
tories have  each  their  chaplain. 
The  walls  about  the  town  are 
extremely  pleasant,  particularly 
on  the  west  side  of  Frank-street, 
where  there  are  several  little 
groves  of  orange  and  lemon 
trees,  which  being  always 
clothed  with  leaves,  blossoms, 
and  fruit,  regale  different  senses 
at  the  same  time.  The  vines, 
which  cover  the  little  hills  about 
Smyrna,  afford  both  a  delightful 
prospect  and  a  plenty  of  grapes, 
of  which  good  wine  is  made. 
These  hills  are  agreeably  inter- 
spersed with  fertile  plains,  little 
forests  of  olives,  and  other  fruit 
trees,  and  many  pleasure  hous- 
es, to  which  the  Franks  usually 
retire  during  the  summer.  In 
the  neighborhood  of  Smyrna, 
is  great  plenty  of  game  and 
wild  fowl,  and  particularly  deer, 
and  wild  hogs.  The  sea  also 
abounds  with  a  variety  of  good 
iish.  The  European  Christians 
arc  here  allowed  all  imaginable 
liberties,  and  usually  clothe 
themselves  after  the  European 
manner. 


SMY 


SMY 


The  chief  commerce  of  this 
city  consists  in  raw  silk,  silk 
stuffs,  programs,  and  cotton 
yarn.  The  city  is  the  resort  of 
merchants  from  Europe,  Asia, 
Africa,  and  America.  How- 
ever, the  unhealthiness  of  the 
situation,  and  more  especially 
the  earthquakes,  from  which,  it 
is  said,  they  are  scarcely  ever 
free  for  two  years  together,  and 
which  have  been  felt  for  40 
days  successively,  are  an  abate- 
ment of  the  pleasure,  that  might 
be  enjoyed  here.  A  very  dread- 
ful one  happened  in  June  1688, 
which  overthrew  a  great  num- 
ber of  the  houses,  and  the  rock 
opening,  where  the  castle  stood, 
swallowed  it  up,  and  5000  per- 
sons perished  on  this  occasion. 

In  the  year  1758,  so  deso- 
lating a  plague  raged  here,  that 
scarcely  a  sufficient  number  of 
the  inhabitants  survived  to 
gather  in  the  fruits  of  the  earth. 
In  the  year  1772  three  fourths 
of  the  city  was  consumed  by 
fire;  and  six  years  after,  it  was 
visited  by  the  most  dreadful 
earthquakes,  which  continued 
from  the  25th  of  June,  to  the 
5th  of  July,  by  which  succes- 
sive calamities  the  city  has  been 
so  much  'reduced,  that  its  for- 
mer consequence  is  not  likely 
to  be  restored. 

From  history  and  the  remains 
of  antiquity,  of  which  few  are 
now  to  be  seen,  we  mav  learn 


what  has  been  the  state  of  this 
city.  In  1675  their  theatre  was 
wholly  ruined  by  the  Turks, 
and  the  stones  carried  away  to 
raise  new  edifices.  At  the  de- 
struction, in  one  of  the  main 
walls,  was  found  enclosed,  a 
bushel  of  medals,  of  Gallienus 
the  emperor,  and  perhaps  this 
theatre  which  was  almost  as  an- 
cient as  the  city  itself,  might 
have  been  repaired  by  Gallie- 
nus; and  this  copper  coin  there 
inclosed  in  memory  of  this  em- 
peror. Over  the  gate  of  the  up- 
per castle  on  a  hill,  the  Roman 
eagle  continues   still  engraved. 

The  people,  who  built  this 
city,  came  from  Ephesus,  and 
dispossessed  the  Leleger  of 
their  habitation,  (as  Strabo  re- 
ports) afterwards  the  Lydians 
demolished  the  buildings;  so 
that  for  the  space £>£  400  years, 
it  was  rather  a  village,  than  a 
city,  until  Antigonus,  and  after 
him  Lysimachus  restored  it  to 
its  ancient  splendor.  The  city 
was  chiefly  built  on  the  side  of 
the  hill;  and  it  is  evident,  since 
the  great  ruins  round  the  town 
Mere  diggedup  to  supply  the  new 
buildings  with  stone,  that  all 
those  ruins  east  of  the  river 
Meles,  were  no  other  than  tem- 
ples, and  bury  ing-places  of  the 
dead. 

After  such  a  lapse  of  ages; 
after  such  serious  calamities 
and  changes,  Smyrna  is  at  this 


SOB 


SOD 


dav  the  rendezvous  of  mer* 
chants  from  almost  every  civ- 
ilized nation  of  the  world,  and 
the  magazine  of  their  merchan- 
dize. Here  reside  in  security 
a  great  number  of  Christians 
of  all  nations,  sects,  and  lan- 
guages. Here  the  Christian 
religion  flourishes  more  than  in 
any  of  the  ancient  churches  of 
Asia  Minor.  God  fulfils  his 
promise  made  to  them  in  Rev- 
elation: "Fear  none  of  those 
things  which  thou  shalt  suffer; 
be  thou  faithful  unto  death, 
and  I  will  give  thee  a  crown 
of  life."  The  streets  are  more 
open  and  better  paved,  and  the 
houses  better  built,  than  in 
other  towns  of  the  country. 
Smyrna  is  twenty-five  days 
journey  from  Aleppo  by  the 
caravans,  six  from  Cogni,  sev- 
en from  Catagfc,  and  six  from 
Satalia.  The  caravans  of  Per- 
sia often  bring  two  hundred 
bales  of  silk  in  a  year,  beside 
cloth  and  drugs.  The  other 
commodities  brought  here,  are 
thread  made  of  goat's  hair, 
cotton  yarn,  cotton  in  bags, 
and  all  sorts  of  carpets.  The 
fortifications  consist  of  a  fort,  a 
castle,  and  an  old  citadel.  The 
town  stands  at  the  bottom  of 
a  large  bay,  183  miles  W.  by 
S.  from  Constantinople.  Lat. 
38,  28,  N.  long.  27,  19,  E. 
Cruthwell,  Neivton. 

SOBAL,   the  city  of  Seir 
the  Horite,  Gen.  xxvi,  30. 


SOCOH,  Socho,  or  £ho* 
cho,  a  city  of  Judah,  Josh,  xv, 
35,  1  Sam.  xvii,  1.  Heber,  of 
whom  mention  is  made  in  the 
Chronicles,  repaired  Socoh,  1 
Chr.  iv,18,  and  his  family  dwelt 
there.  Eusebius  says,  there 
were  two  cities  of  Socoh,  one 
the  higher,  the  other  the  lower 
Socho,  nine  miles  from  Eleu- 
theropolis,  towards  Jerusalem. 

SODOM,  the  capital  city  of 
PentapoliSjWhich  for  some  time 
was  the  dwelling  place  of  Lot, 
the  nephew  of  Abraham,  Gen. 
xiii,  12,  13.  The  crimes  of 
this  city  were  came  to  such 
an  height,  that  God  destroyed 
it  by  fire  from  heaven,  with 
three  other  neighboring  cities, 
Gomorrah,  Zeboim,  and  Ad- 
mah,  which  were  as  wicked  as 
itself,  Gen.  xix.  The  plain  in 
which  they  stood,  which  be- 
fore was  pleasant  and  fruitful, 
like  an  earthly  paradise,  was 
first  inflamed  by  lightning, 
which  set  fire  to  the  bitumen, 
with  which  it  was  replete,  and 
was  afterwards  overflowed  by 
the  waters  of  Jordan,  which 
diffused  themselves  there,  and 
formed  the  Dead  Sea,  or  lake 
of  Sodom.     See  Asphar. 

It  is  believed  that  Sodom 
\*as  one  of  the  southermost  of 
the  five  cities  thai  were  des- 
troyed, because  it  was  near 
Zoar,  which  was  beyond  the 
southermost  point  of  the  Dead 
Sea.      It  is  doubted  whether 


SOD 


SOD 


Sodom  stood  within  the  space 
of  tend  that  now  is  possessed 
by  the  sea,  or  whether  it  was 
only  upon  its  border.  The 
prophets  speak  often  of  the 
destruction  of  Sodom  and  Go- 
morrah, or  make  allusions  to 
it,  and  every  where  insinuate 
that  these  places  shall  be  des- 
arts,  dried  up  and  uninhabited; 
that  they  shall  be  places  cov- 
ered with  briars  and  brambles, 
a  land  of  salt  and  sulphur, 
where  there  can  be  neither 
planting  nor  sowing,  see  Jer. 
xlix,  18,  and  1,  40,  Amos  iv, 
11.  Josephus  says,  that  round 
the  lake  Sodom,  and  the  place 
where  these  cities  once  stood, 
are  still  to  be  seen  the  dismal 
effects  of  this  dreadful  catas- 
trophe. Strabo  speaks  of  the 
ruins  of  Sodom,  which  were 
sixty  furlongs  in  circumfer- 
ence, and  were  to  be  seen  on 
the  shore  of  the  Dead  Sea. 
The  Notitia  make  express 
mention  of  Sodom,  as  an  epis- 
copal city,  though  Mr.  Reland 
cannot  be  persuaded,  that  it 
was  ever  rebuilt.  Diodorus 
Siculus  mentions  the  peculiar 
nature  of  the  lake,  which  cov- 
ered the  country,  where  Sod- 
om and  the  neighboring  cities 
were  formerly  situated.  The 
water  of  it  is  bitter  and  fetid 
to  the  last  degree,  so  that  nei- 
ther fish,  nor  any  other  crea- 
tures can  live  there.  Tacitus 
60 


relates,  that  a  tradition  still 
prevailed  in  his  days,  of  certain 
powerful  cities  having  been 
destroyed  by  thunder  and  light- 
ning, and  of  the  plain  in  which 
they  were  situated  being  burn- 
ed up.  He  adds,  that  traces 
of  such  a  catastrophe  evidently 
remained.  The  earth  was 
parched,  and  had  lost  all  its 
natural  powers  of  vegetation, 
and,  therefore,  whatever  hap- 
pened to  spring  up  spontane- 
ously, or  was  planted  by  man, 
gradually  withered  away,  and 
crumbled  to  dust.  Strabo,  af- 
ter describing  the  nature  of 
the  lake  Asphaltites,  adds  that 
the  whole  of  its  appearance 
gives  an  air  of  probability  to 
the  prevailing  tradition,  that 
thirteen  cities,  the  chief  of 
which  was  Sodom,  were  once 
destroyed  and  swallowed  up 
by  an  earthquake,  and  fire,  and 
an  inundation  of  boiling,  sul- 
phureous water.  Mr.  Maun- 
drel  visited  this  lake,  and 
makes  the  following  observa- 
tions: "Being  desirous,  saith 
he,  to  see  the  remains,  if  there 
were  any,  of  those  cities,  an- 
ciently situate  in  this  place, 
and  which  were  made  so  dread- 
ful an  example  of  the  Divine 
vengeance,  1  diligently  survey- 
ed the  waters,  as  far  as  my  eye 
could  reach;  but  neither  could 
I  discern  any  heaps  of  ruins, 
n©r  any  smoke  ascending  above 


SOD 


SOP 


the  surface  of  the  water,  as  is 
usually  described  in  the  writings 
and  maps  of  geographers.  But 
yet,  I  must  not  omit  what  was 
confidently  attested  to  me  by 
the  father  guardian,  and  the 
procurator  of  Jerusalem,  both, 
of  them  men  in  years,  and 
seemingly  not  destitute  either 
of  sense  or  probity,  that  they 
had  once  actually  seen  of  these 
ruins,  that  they  were  so  near 
the  shore,  and  the  waters  so 
shallow  at  that  time,  that  they 
went  to  them,  and  found  sev- 
eral pillars,  and  other  fragments 
of  buildings.  The  height  of 
the  water  was,  I  suppose,  the 
cause  that  we  were  deprived  of 
this  sight.  Thevenot  gives 
much  the  same  account.  He 
says  that  there  is  no  fish  in  this 
sea,  by  reason  of  the  extradr- 
dinary  saltness  of  it,  which 
burns  like  fire,  when  one 
tastes  of  it.  And  when  the 
fish  of  the  water  Jordan  come 
clown  so  low,  they  return  back 
again  against  the  stream;  and 
such  as  are  carried  into  it  by 
the  current  of  the  water  im- 
mediately die.  The  land  with- 
in three  leagues  round  the 
water,  is  not  cultivated;  but  is 
white,  and  mingled  with  salt 
and  ashes.  In  short,  we  must 
think  that  there  iswa  heavy 
curse  of  God  upon  that  place, 
seeing  it  was  heretofore  so 
pleasant  a  country." 


According  to  Cieza  some 
tradition  of  the  miraculous  de- 
struction of  Sodom  had  travel- 
led to  South  America,  before 
it  was  discovered  by  Colum- 
bus. The  Peruvians  believe 
that  a  race  of  giants  was  once 
destroyed  by  fire  from  heaven, 
on  account  of  impurities,  sim- 
ilar to  those,  which  according 
to  scripture  drew  down  the 
vengeance  of  God  upon  Sod- 
om. .  Faber. 

SOPHIRA.  TheSeptuagint 
translate  Ophir  by  this  word. 
Sophira  is  supposed  to  be  the 
same  as  Sofala,  which  is  a 
kingdom  on  the  east  coast  of 
Africa,  extending  south  from 
Zanquebar,  from  the  river 
Cuama  to  the  river  Del  Espir- 
ito  Sancto,  that  is  from  lat.  17 
to  25  south.  This  country 
contains  mines  of  gold,  and  is 
tributary  to  the  Portuguese. 
The  mines  yield  annually  five 
millions  of  dollars.  In  this 
wealth,  the  Portuguese,  the 
Arabs  of  Zidon,  and  Mecca, 
and  the  merchants  of  Quiloa, 
Morbase,  and  Melinda,  all  have 
a  share.  From  India  the  Ara- 
bians bring  goods  to  the  a- 
moimt  of  623,000  dollars.  The 
merchants  of  Sofala  exchange 
goods  for  gold  from  Mocaran- 
ga,  whose  prince  is  called  the 
golden  emperor.  Moquet  and 
many  other  learned  men  sup- 
pose, that  Sofala  is  the  Ophir 


SPA 


SPA 


to  which  Solomon  sent  his 
fleet,  once  in  three  years.  By 
a  variety  of  facts  Mr.  Bruce 
has  rendered  it  very  probable, 
that  Ophir  must  have  been  in 
this  region.  It  has  been  said 
that  the  inhabitants  boast  of 
having  books,  which  prove, 
that  in  the  time  of  Solomon, 
king  of  Israel,  his  subjects 
came  to  this  country  for  gold. 
This  opinion  is  confirmed  by 
several  ancient  edifices,  which 
seem  to  have  been  built  by 
foreigners;  also  by  several  in- 
scriptions in  unknown  charac- 
ters. Sophira,  the  word  of  the 
Seventy,  might  easily  become 
Sofala.  Liquids  are  often  put 
one  for  the  other.  West  from 
Sofala  is  a  mountain  which  is 
now  called  Ophir,  and  remark- 
able for  its  gold.  Lopez, 
Bruce,  Mollini,  fValker. 

SOREK,  the  name  of  a 
brook  that  passed  through  the 
tribe  of  Dan;  as  also  of  a  valley, 
where  dwelt  the  famous  Deli 
lab,  Sampson's  mistress,  Jud. 
xvi,  4.  This  valley  of  Sorek 
was  famous  for  choice  wines, 
as  may  be  gathered  from  Gen. 
xlvi,  11;  Isa.  v,  12;  and  Jer. 
ii,  21.     Lat.  31,34. 

SPAIN,  this  is  one  of  the 
few  countries  of  Europe,  which 
is  mentioned  in  the  scriptures. 
This  country,  to  use  the  words 
"of  an  ancient  writer,  lies  be- 
tween France  and  Africa,  and  is 


more  fertile  than  either.  Being 
enclosed  by  the  ocean  and  the 
Pyrenees,  it  is  not  scorched  like 
Africa, nor  wearied  with  perpet- 
ual winds  like  France.  Spain,  as 
well  as  Europe  at  large,  was 
probably  first  peopled  by  the 
Celtes;  but  the  Spanish  histo- 
rians derive  the  origin  of  their 
nation  from  Tubal,  the  fifth 
son  of  Japhet;  asserting,  that 
Spain  had  been  a  monarchy  for 
2226  years  before  the  arrival  of 
the  Celtes.  Till  the  coming  of 
the  Carthaginia-ns  into  Spain, 
however,  nothing  very  certain 
can  be  affirmed  of  the  Spaniards. 
This  happened,  not  long  before 
the  first  Punic  war;  the  Car- 
thaginians reduced  the  country; 
but  were  afterwards  expelled  by 
the  Romans. 

It  is  believed  that  Christiani- 
ty was  plan'.ed  in  this  country 
by  the  Apostles  themselves, 
soon  after  the  resurrection  of 
their  divine  Master.  Simeon 
Metaphrastes,  who  wrote  in 
the  ninth  century,  affirms,  that 
the  apostle  Peter  visited'Spaio. 
But  almoat  all  the  ancient  Span- 
ish writers  affirm,  that  the  apos- 
tle James,  the  greater,  the  son  of 
Zebedee,  and  brother  of  Jeflin, 
was  the  principal  missionary  of 
the  Spaniards.  Nor  is  it  less 
probable,  says  a  learned  abbot, 
that  St.  Paul  visited  Spain. 
For  he  promised  the  Romans, 
that  after  visiting  them  he  woukl 


SPA 


SPA 


o  to  Spain.  Not  a  few  writers, 
atin  and  Greek,  testify  that 
Si.Paul  did  execute  this  design. 
Epiphanius,  in  the  fourth  cen- 
tury says,  that  Paul  did  indeed 
come  into  Spain,  and  that  Peter 
visited  Ponms  and  Bithynia. 
Dorotheus,  bishop  of  Tyre, 
clearly  asserts,  that  St.  Paul, 
after  the  assumption  of  Jesus 
Christ,  by  whom  he  had  been 
called,  and  added  to  the  cata- 
logue of  the  apostles,  went  from 
Jerusalem,  preaching  the  gos- 
pel, as  far  as  Illyricum,  and  Ita- 
ly, r<nd  Spain. 

The  sublijpe  Jerome,  in  the 
founh  century  says,  that  Paul 
was  determined  and  furious  to 
destroy  the  church  of  God,  like 
a  violent  whirlwind,  a  cruel 
tempest,  or  a  whirlpool  of  the 
rajii  :g  sea;  who  being  called  of 
God,  went  forth  over  the  face 
of  the  whole  world,  preaching 
the  gospel  from  Jerusalem  to 
Illyricum, where  the  Gospel  had 
not  been  preached,  that  he  might 
not  build  on  the  foundation  of 
others;  that  he  went  as  far  as 
Spain,  and  that  he  flew  from 
the  Red  Sea,  and  even  from 
one  ocean  to  the  other,  imitat- 
ing the  genial  rays  of  the  sun, 
or  the  mercy  of  his  divine  Lord. 
The  eloquent  Chrysostom,  in 
the  fourth  century,  describes 
the  spirit  of  Puul,asturned  from 
Judaism  to  Jesus  Christ,  by  a 
heavenly  voice,  and  not  remain- 


ing idle,  or  employed  in  one 
place,  but  flying  from  Jerusa- 
lem to  Illyricum,  and  proceed- 
ing to  Spain.  We  might  easily 
increase  the  witnesses  to  this 
fact;  but,  who  will  doubt  the 
testimony  of  those  already  ad- 
duced? I  therefore,  only  add, 
that  Dr.  Wells  supposes  that 
Paul  went  into  Spain,  and  ob- 
serves, that  the  ancients  gener- 
ally assert  the  fact  without  seem- 
ing to  entertain  any  doubts. 
Theodoret,  in  the  fifth  century, 
tells  us,  that  he  not  only  preach- 
ed in  Spain, but  in  other  nations., 
and  brought  the  gospel  into  the 
isles  of  the  sea,  by  which  he 
undoubtedly  means  Britain, 
and  therefore,  elsewhere,  he 
reckons  the  Gauls,  or  French, 
and  Britons,  among  the  nations, 
which  the  apostles,  and  partic- 
ularly the  tent-maker,  persuad- 
ed to  embrace  the  gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ.  When  Paul  was 
liberated  from  his  first  impris- 
onment at  Rome,  it  would  be 
very  natural,  considering  his 
known  activity,  to  suppose,  that 
he  would  visit  different  parts  of 
the  country,  round  that  cele- 
braled  metropolis.  That  Spain 
would  arrest  his  attention,  we 
may  infer  from  his  letter,  writ- 
ten to  the  Romans,  in  which 
he  mentions  a  determination  to 
visit  that  country. 

Clemens  Romanus,    in    the 
first  century,  in  his  letter  to  the 


SPA 


SPA 


Corinthians,  observes,  that  St. 
Paul  preached  in  the  west,  to 
its  utmost  bounds,  which  no 
doubt  then  included  Spain. 
There  seems,  therefore,  to  be 
no  period  more  convenient  in 
the  short  time,  which  remained 
to  St.  Paul,  than  soon  after  his 
liberation, for  an  excursion  from 
Italy  to  Spain,  probably  by  sea; 
and  also  from  Spain  to  Britain, 
probably  by  sea,  and  then  from 
Britain  through  France  to  Italy, 
probably  for  the  most  part  by 
land.  Though  he  requested 
Philemon  to  prepare  lodgings 
for  him,  it  is  very  uncertain 
whether  he  ever  returned  to  the 
East. 

Paul  being  in  a  sort  at  liber- 
ty,  only  guarded  by  a  soidier, 
he  would  naturally  visit  the 
Pretorian  camp  in  the  city  very 
often;  he  would  undoubtedly, 
become  acquainted  with  some 
of  the  officers;  these  beins:  from 
time  to  time  sent  into  Spain, 
he  might  easily,  on  being  set 
at  liberty  as  he  was,  accompany 
some  of  them  to  that  country, 
and  thence  proceed,  as  the  an- 
cients assert  lie  did,  into  Great 
Britain.  Here,  as  the  subject 
is  interesting,  we  shall  hint,  that 
report  says,  an  old  Welsh 
chronicle  attributes  the  intro- 
duction of  Christianity  into 
Britain  to  Chractacus,  or  Cha- 
rada,  the  Briton,  who  was  taken 
prisoner,  A.  D.  50,  and  carried 


to  Rome,  where  he  appeared 
before  Claudius,  with  a  de- 
portment and  dignity,  v  hich 
commanded  the  admiration  of 
all  who  saw  him.  Some  of 
his  attendants  might  become 
acquainted  with  the  Christians 
at  Rome,  and  imbibe  their  spir- 
it,   and  adopt  their  doctrines. 

Some  have  supposed,  Chris- 
tianity introduced  to  the  island 
of  our  fathers  at  an  earlier  pe- 
riod. Mr.  King  observes,  that 
probably  Aulus  Plautius,  the 
Praetor,  the  first  governor  of 
the  province  in  the  island,  in- 
troduced the  gospel  in  A.  D. 
43.  His  wife,  Pomponia  Grae- 
ciana,  was  the  first  person  in 
Rome  accused  for  having  em- 
braced Christianity.  Having 
been  tried,  according  to  the 
Roman  laws  for  embracing  a 
foreign  superstition,  she  was 
pronounced  innocent  of  every 
thing  immoral.  Tacit'i  annates, 
lib.  13,  chap.  32. 

What  may  be  deemed  cf 
more  authority  is  a  passage  in 
Gitdas,  who  was  a  Briton,  and 
therefore  to  be  credited  in  mat- 
ters of  British  history;  he  is 
the  only  English  author  of  the 
sixth  century,  whose  works 
have  reached  this  age.  He 
says,  "In  the  mean  time, Christ, 
the  true  Sun,  displaying  his 
glorious  rays  upon  the  whole 
world,  in  the  latter  end  of  Ti- 
berius Caesar,  as  we  are  assur- 


SPA 


SPA 


cd,  did  first  vouchsafe  his  rays 
to  this  cold  frozen  island,  situ- 
ated at  so  vast  a  distance  from 
the  visible  sur."  It  is  also  al- 
leged that  Eusebius  says,  that 
some  of  the  apostles  passed 
over  the  ocean,  "to  those  which 
are  called  the  British  Isles." 
Theod.'iret  as  expressly  names 
the  Britons  among  the  nations 
converted  by  the  apostles,  and 
saith  elsewhere,  that  St.  Paul 
"brought  salvation  to  the  isl- 
ands that  lie  in  the  ocean." 
Clemens  Romanus  saith,  that 
St.  Paul  "preached  righteous- 
ness through  the  whole  world," 
and  in  so  doing,  "went  to  the 
utmost  bounds  of  the  west." 
Every  one  acquainted  With  an- 
cient writers,  knows  that  this 
embraced  Britain.  I  might 
swell  this  article  with  the  opin- 
ions of  many  learned  moderns; 
some  supporting,  and  others 
opposing,  the  opinion  of  the 
early  dawn  of  Christianity  on 
England  and  Spain.  But  I  have 
given  the  substance  of  the  evi- 
dence from  antiquity,  and  every 
reader  will  judge  for  himself. 
I  only  add,  that  another  of 
the  first  and  most  distinguish- 
ed among  the  early  Christian 
converts,  was  also  an  English 
woman  Claudia,  the  wife  of 
Pudens,  mentioned  by  St.Paul, 
2  Tim.  iv,  21,  who  is  with  good 
reason  thought  to  be  the  same 
Claudia,  who  has  been  so  much 


celebrated  by  the  poet  Martial 
for  her  beauty  and  virtue,  and 
who  is  by  him  described  as 
being  both  the  wife  of  Pudens, 
ahd  a  Briton.  Martial,  lib.  v, 
epigram  13,  and  lib.  xi,  epi- 
gram 54. 

Aulus  Plautius  was  gover- 
nor in  Britain,  in  A.  D.  43. 
Caradoc  was  at  Rome  in  50, 
and  Claudia  is  mentioned  bv 
St.  Paul  in  A.  D.  65.  Thus 
while  the  gospel  we  know,  was 
enlightening  the  Eastern  na- 
tions of  the  world,  it  was  also 
preached  in  the  West.  The 
Sun  of  truth  was  pouring  his 
beams  with  irresistible  energy 
upon  every  quarter  of  the 
world. 

Though  the  Carthaginians 
and  Tyrians  had  carried  from 
Spain  prodigious  quantities  of 
silver,  yet  was  it  a  very  rich 
country  when  it  was  subdued 
by  the  Romans.  Originally, 
it  seems  to  have  been  a  much 
richer  country  than  ever  South 
America  was.  Aristotle  says, 
that  when  the  Phoenicians  first 
arrived  in  Spain,  they  ex- 
changed their  naval  commodi- 
ties for  such  immense  quanti- 
ties of  silver,  that  their  ships 
could  not  contain  it,  so  great 
was  its  bulk,  nor  support  it,  so 
vast  was  its  weight,  though 
they  used  it  for  ballast,  and 
formed  their  anchors  of  this 
precious   metal.      The   silver 


SPA 


SPA 


was  still  as  plenty  as  ever,  when 
the  Carthaginians  arrived  in 
Spain;  their  inhabitants,  then, 
made  all  the  utensils,  and 
even  their  mangers  of  silver. 
The  gleanings  of  the  Romans 
were  by  no  means  despicable; 
in  nine  years  they  carried  off 
more  than  fifty  tons  of  silver, 
and  two  tons  of  gold,  beside 
an  immense  sum  of  coined 
money,  and  other  tilings  of 
value.  Spain  gradually  apos- 
tatized from  the  true  faith,  and 
became  a  pillar  of  the  Roman 
church,  a  persecutor  of  Jews 
and  Christians.  In  the  eleventh 
century,  about  half  a  million 
Jews  endured  the  dismal  hor- 
rors of  persecution.  In  the 
thirteenth  century,  more  than 
two  million  Jews  were  banish- 
ed from  Spain;  at  one  time  fif- 
teen thousand  were  put  to 
death,  merely  because  they  re- 
fused to  receive  baptism.  In 
1492  a  million  more  fled  from 
this  country  to  preserve  their 
lives,  enduring  a  thousand  un- 
describable  miseries  in  their 
precipitate  flight.  Within  four 
years  after  the  Court  of  Inqui- 
sition was  established,  six 
thousand  Christians  were  burn- 
ed for  their  faith  in  Jesus  Christ; 
in  no  long  time  after,  a  hun- 
dred thousand  Christians  suf- 
fered the  terrors  of  a  merciless 
persecution.     Bigland. 

God   punishes    nations    for 


national  sins;  he  is  now,  as  it 
were,  giving  them  blood  to 
drink;  and  though  their  enemy 
is  of  all  men  among  the  most 
wicked  and  impious,  he  is  the 
scourge  of  God,  and  Spain  may 
yet  have  a  series  of  unheard-of 
miseries  to  be  endured. 

Spain  has  a  fine  climate,  ly- 
ing between  lat.  36  and  44, 
north,  with  a  population  of 
10,268,150  souls,  though  once 
its  inhabitants  were  reckoned 
at  20  or  30,000,000;  but  the 
persecutions,  which  have  been 
mentioned,  with  some  other 
causes,  have  reduced  the  coun- 
try to  its  present  desolate  situ- 
ation. 

SPARTA,  a  city  of  Greece 
mentioned  in  Maccabees;  it  lay 
in  the  south-western  province 
of  the  Peloponnesus,  called  La- 
conia.  It  was  also  called  La- 
cedemon,  from  the  name  of 
the  country  in  which  was  is  situ- 
ated. Homer  makes  this  dis- 
tinction, and  calls  the  country 
holy,  because  it  is  encompass- 
ed with  mountains.  This  city 
was  also  called  Hecatompolis 
from  the  hundred  cities  which 
the  country  contained.  Sparta 
was  the  capital  of  Laconia,  sit- 
uate on  the  west  side  of  the 
Eurotas.  It  was  smaller  in 
corcpass,  but  superior  in  pow- 
er to  Athens.  PolybiuS  makes 
it  only  six.  miles  in  circuit. 
The  present  or  modern  city  is 


sue 


SYC 


called  Misitria.  It  is  now  the 
capital  of  the  Morea,  with  a 
Greek  archbishop's  see,  and  a 
castle.  It  is  divided  into  four 
parts,  the  castle,  the  town,  and 
two  large  suburbs.  The  church 
is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  world; 
but  the  Turks  have  turned  it 
into  a  mosque,  near  which  is 
a  magnificent  hospital.  In  this 
city  are  a  great  number  of 
Christians,  and  so  many  Jews 
that  they  have  three  syna- 
gogues. The  population  is 
twelve  thousand.  The  river 
which  runs  by  the  city  is  now 
called  the  Vasilipotamo.  Sparta 
is  100  miles  south-west  from 
Athens.  Long.  23  E.  lat.  36, 
55  N. 

SUGCOTH,  or  Sochoth, 
the  first  encampment  of  the 
Israelites,  when  they  came  out 
of  Egypt,  Exod.  xii,  37.  Suc- 
coth  signifies  tents. 

Succoth,  a  city  beyond 
Jordan,  between  the  brook  of 
Jabbok  and  this  river.  Jacob, 
at  his  return  from  Mesopota- 
mia, passing  over  the  brook 
Jabbok,  set  up  his  tents  at 
Succoth,  Gen.  xxxiii,  17, 
where  afterwards  they  built  a 
city,  Josh,  xiii,  27,  assigned 
to  the  tribe  of  Gad.  Solo- 
mon cast  his  large  brazeri  ves- 
sels, which  he  intended  for  the 
service  of  the  temple,  between 
Succoth  and  Zarthan,  1  Kings 
vii,  46.     St.  Jerome  says,  that 


Succoth  was  within  the  canton 
Scythopolis.  The  Jews  tells  us, 
the  name  of  Darala  was  after- 
wards given  to  Succoth.  Gid- 
eon tore  the  flesh  of  the  prin- 
cipal men  of  Succoth,  with 
thorns  and  briars,  because  they 
returned  him  an  haughty  an- 
swer, when  he  asked  some  re- 
freshments of  them  for  his 
people,  who  were  then  pursu- 
ing the  Midianites,  Judg.  viii, 
5,  6,  &c.     Lat.  32, 14. 

SUD,  or  Sodi,  a  river  of 
Babylonia  mentioned  by  Ba- 
ruch  i,  4.  We  know  no  river 
by  this  name  in  this  country: 
It  might  be  some  arm  of  the 
Euphrates. 

SUKKIM.  What  particu- 
lar people  these  are  the  learned 
have  not  agreed.  The  word 
signifies  a  tent  or  a  cave  Hence 
it  has  been  a  question,  whether 
by  the  Sukkim  are  to  be  un- 
derstood the  Troglodyte,  a 
people  in  the  parts  of  Africa, 
adjoining  Egypt,  south,  and  so 
called  by  the  Greeks,  because 
they  lived  in  caverns  cut  out 
of  the  rocky  mountains,  or 
whether  the  Bedoween  Arabs 
are  meant,  who  were  so  called 
from  their  living  in  tents.  This 
people  have  been  celebrated  in 
history  by  the  name  of  Sara- 
cens. 

SYCHEM,  or  Sychar,  a 
city  of  Samaria.  Dr.  Prideaux 
says  it  was  called  Sychar  by 


SYE 


SYE 


the  Jews  as  a  term  of  reproach, 
this  name  importing  the  drun- 
ken city.  The  town  stands  in 
a  narrow  valley  between  mount 
Gerizim  and  Ebal.  On  Ge- 
rizim  the  Samaritans  have  now 
a  temple.  This  place,  like  most 
others  in  the  possession  of  the 
Turks,  has  declined,  and  is  in 
a  mean  condition.  It  consists 
chiefly  of  two  parallel  streets. 
The  place  is  now  called  Nap- 
lousa.  See  Shechem  and  Si- 
char.  • 

SYENE,  a  city  in  the  south- 
ern frontiers  of  Egypt  or  Ethi- 
opia, between  Thebes  and  the 
great  cataracts  of  the  Nile, 
though  Ezekiel  places  it  at  that 
extremity  of  Egypt  farthest  from 
Ethiopia:  'From  the  tower  of 
Syene  even  unto  the  borders 
of  Ethiopia,"  Ezek.  xxix,  10, 
whence  some  think,  that  the- 
Hebrew  being  translated,  "from 
Migdol  to  Syene,  and  to  the 
frontier  of  Cush."  See  Migdol 
and  Cush.  '•  This  city  is  cele- 
brated for  the  first  attempt  to 
ascertain  the  circumference  of 
the  earth,'  by  Eraiosthenes,  a 
native  of  Cyrene,  who,  about 
the  year  276  before  Christ,  was 
invited  from  Athens  to  Alexan- 
dria, by  Ptolemy  Euergetes: 
near  it  on  a  small  island  in  the 
Nile,  anciently  called  Elephan- 
tina,  is  a  temple  of  Cnupis, 
still  standing,  very  little  injur- 
ed. In  this  town,  which  was 
61 


situated  under  the  tropic,  ac- 
cording to  the  report  of  Strabo, 
a  well  was  sunk,  which  rparked 
the  summer  solstice,  and  the 
day  was  known,  when  the  stile 
of  the  sun  dial  cast  no  shadow 
at  noon;  at  that  instant  the  ver- 
tical sun,  darted  his  rays  to  the 
bottom  of  the  well,  and  his  im- 
age was  reflected  on  the  water. 
Syene  is  at  present  a  misera- 
bly decayed  place,  with  a  small 
fort,  commanded  by  an  aga  of 
the  Janissaries;  the  remains  of 
the  ancient  town  are  on  an  em- 
inence to  the  south.  Columns 
and  pillars  of  gtanite,  scattered 
here  and  there,  denote  its  situa- 
tion: 375  miles  south  from 
Cairo,  long.  38,  8,  E.  lat.  24, 
0,  N.  M.  Denon,  however, 
says,  that  Syene  now  has  a  nu- 
merous population;  but  the 
trade  is  confined  to  senna  and 
dates,  and  these  two  articles 
produce  a  sufficient  return  to 
supply  all  the  other  wants  of 
the  inhabitants,  to  maintain  a 
Kiachef,  a  governor,  and  a 
Turkish  garrison.  The  senna, 
which  grows  around  Syene  is 
of  moderate  quality;  when  sold 
it  is  fraudulently  mixed  with 
that  which  grows  wild  in  the 
desert,  Urotfghl  hither  by  the 
Barabra,  and  sold  at  nearly  a 
hundred*  part  of  what  is  given 
for  it  in  Europe.  It  is  one  of 
the  most  important  articles  of 
the  custom  houses  at  Cairo  and 


SYR 


SYR 


Alexandria.  The  second  arti- 
cle of  exportation  is  dates;  they 
are  small  and  dry;  but  they  are 
so  plenty,  that  besides  making 
the  principal  food  of  the  inhab- 
itants here,  large  boats,  loaded 
with  them,  are  daily  going 
down  the  river  to  Lower  Egypt. 
Denon's  Travels. 
SYRACUSE,  a  famous  city 
of  Sicily,  seated  on  the  east  side 
of  the  *  island.  While  in  its 
splendor,  it  was  the  richest  city 
possessed  by  the  Greeks  in  any 
part  of  the  world.  St.  Paul, 
going  to  Rome,  landed  in  this 
city,  and  tarried  three  days. 
Thence  he  went  to  Rhegium, 
Acts  xxviii,  12.  Syracuse 
was  anciently,  very  strongly 
fortified,  great  in  extent,  and 
populous.  The  port  was  most- 
ly environed  wiih  beautiful 
buildings;  and  that  part  of  it, 
which  was  without  the  city,  was 
on  both  sides  banked  up,  and 
sustained  with  very  fair  walls 
of  marble.  Strabo  tells  us,  it 
was  about  twenty-two  miles  in 
circumference;  and  Livy  and 
Plutarch  acquaint  us,  that  the 
spoil  of  it  was  almost  equal  to 
that  of  Carthage,  when  it  was 
taken  and  sacked  by  Marcellus, 
the  Roman  general,  about  two 
hundred  and  ten  years  before 
the  birth  of  our  Savior.  In 
storming  this  place,  Archim- 
edes, the  most  celebrated  math- 
ematician, was  slain  by  a  com- 


mon soldier.  He  was  very  in- 
tent on  a  demonstration  in  ge- 
ometry, and  calmly  drawing  his 
lines,  when  a  soldier  entered 
the  room  and  clapped  a  sword 
to  his  throat.  Hold  (said  Ar- 
chimedes) one  moment,  and 
my  demonstration  will  be  fin- 
ished. But  the  soldier,  equal- 
ly regardless  of  his  prayer  and 
his  demonstration,  instantly  kil- 
led him. 

The  city  of  Syracuse  con- 
tinued subject  to  the  western 
empire,  till  its  declension,  when 
the  island  of  Sicily  being  rav- 
aged by  different  barbarians, 
the  capital  also  underwent  vari- 
ous  revolutions;  at  last  in  834, 
it  was  destroyed  by  the  Sara- 
cens, who  razed  it  to  the 
ground,  and  few  traces  of  its 
ancient  grandeur  are  now  to  be 
seen.  The  ancient  city  of  Sy- 
racuse was  of  a  triangular  form, 
and  consisted  of  five  parts  or 
towns,  the  circuit,  according  to 
Strabo,  amounted  to  twenty- 
two  and  an  half  English  miles. 
The  new  city,  which  has  risen 
from  its  ruins,  stands  on  a  little 
island,  having  a  castle  well  for- 
tified, and  is  itself  strongly 
walled,  having  two  noble  ha- 
vens. It  is  very  weak  towards 
the  sea,  but  the  shelves  render 
it  hazardous  to  debark  on  that 
side. 

Its  population  is  eighteen 
thousand.      The  dwellings  are 


SYli 


SYll 


far  from  being  memorials  of 
ancient  Syracusan  architecture 
or  opulence.  The  ancient  tem- 
ple of  Aiinerva  is  now  turned 
into  a  cathedral.  This  temple 
is  built  in  the  old  Doric  pro- 
portions, used  in  the  rest  of 
Sicily;  its  exterior  dimensions 
are  1$5  feet  in  length,  and  75 
in  breadth.  There  are  also 
some  remains  of  Diana's  tem- 
ple, but  now  scarcely  discerni- 
ble. Besides  these,  there  are 
few  ruins  in  the  island. 

Every  object  here  imprints 
a  melancholy  sensation  on  the 
mind,  while  it  draws  a  compar- 
ison, between  the  present  hum- 
ble state  of  things,  and  their 
once  flourishing  condition.  I 
had  already  viewed,  (says  Mr. 
Swinburne)  the  desert  scites  of 
many  great,  ancient  cities,  and 
had  as  ;»ften  mourned  over  their 
remains,  but  never  did  I  feel 
the  impression  of  pity  and  re- 
gret so  strong,  as  in  wandering 
among  the  ruins  of  Syracuse. 
The  English  now  possess  this 
island.     Lat.  36,  12. 

SYRIA,  called  in  Hebrew 
Aram,  from  the  name  of  the 
patriarch  who  peopled  its  chief 
provinces.  The  Arameans,  or 
Syrians,  possessed  Mesopota- 
mia, Chaldea,and  a  part  of  Ar- 
menia. Syria,  properly  so 
called,  is  bounded  by  the  Eu- 
phrates on  the  east,  by  the 
Mediterranean  on  the  west;  by 


Silicia  on  the  north;  and  by 
Phoenicia,  Judea,  and  Arabia 
Deserta  on  the  south. 

No  name  perhaps  in  geogra- 
phy or  history  has  been  used 
in   a  more  vague  and  indeter- 
minate    latitude    than    Syria. 
Unless   it   be  connected    with 
some  other  word  to  qualify  its 
meaning,  or  to  ascertain  its  ex- 
tent, it  gives  no  precise  idea  to 
the  mind.     It  is  of  importance, 
then,  to  know  to  what  different 
countries  it  has  been  applied. 
Ail    that    country    extending 
from  the  river    Tigris  to  the 
river  of  Egypt,  was  sometimes 
called  Syria.     That  portion  ly- 
ing between  the  Tigris  and  the 
Euphrates   was  called  Syria  of 
the  rivers;    the  Greeks  called 
this  same   tract  Mesopotamia; 
its  principal  city  was  Edessa, 
formerly  called  Rages.    Ccelo 
Syria  was  a  name  generally  ap- 
plied to  the  noble  valley,  lying 
between  Libanusand  Anti-Li- 
banus,   though  sometimes  the 
name  was  applied  to  the  tract, 
extending   to    the    Euphrates, 
and  contained  Antioch,  Laodi- 
cea,  Apamea,  and  other  cities. 
Palestine  was,  therefore,  a  part 
of  Syria,  as  New  England  is  a 
part  of  the  United    States.     I 
may    add,    that    the    name    of 
Syria  was  given  to  a  portion  of 
Arabia.     Arabia  Deserta  was. 
called   Syria  Soba,  or  Zobah^ 
within  whose  borders  were  cor> 


SYR 


TAB 


tained  Mumea,  or  Mount  Seir, 
according  to  Brocardus  Mona- 
chus;  though  in  his  map  of  the 
Holy  Land,  Bonfrerius  places 
Syria  Soba  near  the  head  vva- 
•tersof  the  Jordan. 

Syria  of  the  two  rivers,  or 
Mesopotamia,  then  Syria  of 
Damascus;  Syria  of  Zobah, 
Syria  of  Maachah,  Syria  of 
Rehob,  &c.  were  only  so  many 
different  provinces  of  Syria,  de- 
nominated from  their  situation 
with  respect  to  these  rivers  or 
cities.  Syria  without  any  other 
appellation,  stands  for  the  king- 
dom of  Syria,  of  which -Anti- 
och  became  the  capital,  after 
the  reign  of  the  Seleucidae. 
Before  this  time  it  was  very 
rare  to  find  the  name  Syria 
used  by  itself.  The  provinces 
of  Syria  were  generally  ex- 
pressed by  the  addition  of  the 
city,  that  was  the  capital  of  the 
province. 

SYRO-PKCENICIA,  this  is 
Phoenicia  properly  so  called,  of 
which  Sidon.  or  Zidon,  was  the 
capital:  and  which  having  by 
right  of  conquest  been  united 
to  the  kingdom  of  Syria,  and 
joined  its  old  name,  Phenecia, 
to  that  of  Syria,  just  as  Pales- 
tine was  called  Palestine  of 
Syria,  because  it  was  con- 
sidered as  making  a  part 
of  Syria.  In  the  gospel 
the  Canazinitish  woman  is  call- 
ed a  Syro- phosnician  by  St. 
Mark,  vii,  26;  because  she  was 


of  Phoenicia,  which  was  then 
looked  upon  as  making  a  part 
of  Syria,  and  was  in  the  juris- 
diction of  the  governor  of  this 
province.  St.  Matt,  xv,  22,24. 
who  wrote  in  Hebrew  or  Syr- 
ias,  calls  her  a  Canaanitish  wo- 
man, because  this  country  was 
really  peopled  by  the  Canaan - 
ites,Sidon  being  the  eldest  son  of 
Canaan,  Gen.  x,15.  Lat. 84,45, 

TAANATH-SHILOH,  a 
place  in  the  Holy  Land,  10  miles 
east  from  Shechem.  Near  this 
spot  was  a  village  called  Then- 
ath,  as  late  as  A.  D.  400. 

TABATHA,  a  town  or  vil- 
lage of  Judea,  five,  or  according 
to  others  fifteen  miles  fromGaza. 

TABBATH,  Judg.  vii,  22. 
Where  this  place  was  situate 
is  not  known. 

TABERAH,  an  encamp- 
ment of  Israel  in  the  wilder- 
ness, Numb,  xi,  3:  Deut.  ix,  22. 
The  Hebrew  word  Taberah 
signifies  jive;  and  the  place  was 
so  denominated  because  afire 
went  out  from  the  tabernacle, 
and  burnt  a  great  part  of  the 
camp  as  a  punishment  of  their 
murmurings. 

TABOR,  a  very  remarka- 
ble mountain  not  far  from  Ka- 
desh,  in  the  tribe  of  Zebu  Ion 
and  in  the  confines  of  Issachar 
and  Naphtali.  It  has  its  name 
from  its  eminence,  besides,  it 
rises  up  in  the  midst  of  a  cham- 
paign country,  called  the  valley 
of  Jezreef,  or  the  great  plain. 


TAB 


TAB 


Josephus  tells  us,  thatthe  height 
of  this  mountain  is  thirty  stadia, 
and  that  on  its  top  is  a  beautiul 
plain  of  twenty  stadia  in  cir- 
cumference. Mr.  Maundrel 
tells  us,  that  this  area  is  enclos- 
ed with  trees  on  all  parts,  ex- 
cept towards  the  south, whence 
there  is  the  most  agreeable 
prospect  in  the  world.  The 
top  of  this  mountain  was  an- 
ciently environed  with  walls, 
trenches,and  other  fortifications, 
of  which  some  remains  are  still 
visible;  and  for  many  ages  it 
has  been  believed  that  here  it 
was,  that  our  blessed  Savior 
was  transfigured  in  the  pres- 
ence of  his  three  apostles,  Pe- 
ter, James,  and  John:  though 
ater  writers  much  doubt  it.  Ta- 
bor was  opposite  to  mount  Her- 
mon,  and  the  Psalmist  lxxxix, 
12,  puts  these  two  mountains 
in  opposition.  Deborah  and 
Barak  assembled  their  army 
upon  Tabor  and  gave  battle  to 
Sisera,  general  of  the  forces  of 
Jabin.  The  mountain  is  two 
hours  travel  from  Nazareth, 
east,  and  twelve  miles  from  Ti- 
berias. It  rises  in  so  gradual  an 
ascent,  that  it  may  be  ascended 
on  horseback.  Mr.  Marite 
represents  the  situation  of  Ta- 
bor as  most  delightful.  Ris- 
ing amidst  the  plains  of  Gali- 
lee, it  exhibits  to  the  enchant- 
ed eye  a  charming  variety  of 
prospects.  On  one  side  there 
are  lakes,  rivers,  and  a  part  of 


the  Mediterranean  Mn,  on  the 
other  is  a  chain  o;  liule  hills 
with  small  vallies,  shaded  by 
natural  groves,  and  enriched  by 
the  hands  of  the  husbandman, 
with  a  great  number  of  useful 
productions.  Here  you  behold 
an  immensity  of  plains,  inter- 
sected with  hamlets,  fortresses, 
and  heaps  of  ruins;  there  the 
eye  delights  to  wander  over  the 
fields  of  Jezreel,  or  Megiddo, 
called  by  the  Arabs,  Ebn  Aa- 
mer,  which  signifies  the  fields 
of  the  sons  of  Aaneer.  A  little 
further,  you  distinguish  the 
mountains  of  Hermon,  Gilboa, 
Samaria,  and  Arabia  the  stony. 
In  short,  you  experience  all 
those  sensations  which  are  pro- 
duced by  a  rapid  succession  of 
rural,  gay,  gloomy,  and  majes- 
tic objects.  The  inhabitants  of 
Tabor  long  braved  the  valor  of 
Roman  armies.  But  in  conse- 
quence of  a  severe  drought, 
they  were  forced  to  surrender 
at  discretion  to  Plaudus,  the 
general  of  Vespasian. 

Several  churches  were  built  on 
this  mountain  by  St  Helen,  who 
founded  here  several  monaste- 
ries. Of  the  two,  most  remark- 
able, one  was  dedicated  to  Mo- 
ses, and  inhabited  by  Cenobites, 
of  the  order  of  St.  Benedict, 
who  followed  the  Latin  rites; 
the  other  was  dedicated  to  the 
•  prophet  Elias,  by  monks  of  the 
order  of  St.  Basil,  attached  to 
the  rites  of  the  Greek   church. 


TAB 


TAH 


The  kings  of  Hungary  also  e- 
rected  here  a  spacious  convent 
for  some  monks  belonging  to 
that  nation,  of  the  order  of  St. 
Paul,  the  first  hermit.  Tabor 
was  also  the  seat  of  a  bishop, 
dependent  on  the  patriarchate 
of  Jerusalem.  In  the  crusades, 
when  Godfrey  of  Bouillon  seiz- 
ed on  this  mountain,  he  repair- 
ed the  ancient  churches,  which 
were  then  falling  into  ruins.  In 
1113  the  Saracen  troops  retook 
Tabor,  and  their  sanguinary  fu- 
ry gave  them,  as  many  victims, 
as  there  were  priests  and  Ceno- 
biies.  Afterwards  this  moun- 
tain again  fell  into  the  hands  of 
the  Christians;  but  the  holy 
banner  of  the  cross  was  not 
long  displayed  on  its  summit. 
The  next  year,  Saladin  tore  it 
down  and  destroyed  all  the 
churches.  In  1253  the  Chris- 
tians took  the  place  again,  and 
rebuilt  all  the  sacred  edifices. 
At  this  time,  it  being  customa- 
ry with  the  popes  to  give  away 
empires,  Pope  Alexander,  the 
fourth,  granted  Tabor  to  the 
Templars,  who  again  repaired 
its  ramparts.  But  in  1.290  the 
Sultan  of  Egypt  took  and  de- 
stroyed the  buildings  of  this 
mountain,  since  which  they 
have  never  been  rebuilt.  This 
celebrated  spot,  is  now  desolate 
and  uninhabited. 

The  figure  of  Tabor  is  that  of  a- 
broken  cone;  the  height  is  nearly 


three  thousand  feet;  the  summit 
two  miles  in  circuit;  on  which 
was  formerly  a  citadel  and  other 
buildings;  some  of  the  immense 
stones  of  which  they  were  built, 
still  remain;  but  how  they  were 
conveyed  there  baffles  all  con- 
jecture. By  no  art  now  known 
Gould  such  stones  be  carried 
up  such  a  steep  mountain. 
Lat.  32,  39. 

Tabor,  a  city  on  the  a- 
bove  mountain,  which  was  as- 
signed to  the  Levites  in  the 
tribe  of  Issachar,  Joshua  xix, 
22.     Lat,  32,  32. 

Tabor,  a  plain  lying  be- 
tween Bethlehem   and  Bethel. 

TADMOR,  a  city  built  by 
Solomon,  1  Kings  ix,  18,  now 
called  Palmyra,  situated  in  a 
wilderness  of  Syria,  upon  the 
borders  of  Arabia  Deserta,  in- 
clining  towards  the  Euphrates. 
Josephus  places  it  two  days 
journey  from  the  Upper  Syria, 
one  days  journey  from  the  Eu- 
phrates, and  six  days  journey 
from  Babylon.  He  says  there 
is  no  water  any  where  else  in 
the  wilderness,  but  in  this  place. 
At  this  day  are  to  be  seen  vast 
ruins  of  this  city.  There  was 
nothing  more  magnificent  in 
the  whole  East.  There  are 
still  found  a  great  number  of 
inscriptions,  the  most  of  which 
are  Greek,  and  the  others  in 
Palmyrenian  characters. 

TAHAPANES,  Tahpan- 


TAM 


TAN 


hes,  oi-Taphnes,  a  city  of  E- 
gypt,  Jeremiah,  ii,16;iv, 3,  often 
speaks  of  it,  and  we  are  told  he 
was  buried  there.  It  is  thought 
that  Taphnis  is  the  same  as 
Daphnae  Pelusiae,  sixteen  miles 
from  Pelusium  towards  the 
souih,  according  to  the  itine- 
rary of  Antonine.  Jeremiah 
and  the  Israelites  that  were  with 
him,  retired  to  Taphnis;  and 
when  they  were  come  thither, 
the  Lord  revealed  to  Jeremiah, 
that  Nebuchadnezzar  should 
take  this  city,  and  should  set 
up  his  throne  in  the  very  place, 
where  the  prophet  had  hid 
stones.Thiswas  then  a  royal  city. 

TAHATH,an  encampment 
of  the  Israelites  in  the  wilder- 
ness. From  Makeloth  they 
went  to  Tahath,  and  thence  to 
Tarah,  Num.  xxxiii,  26,  27. 

TAHTIM-HODSHI.  This 
name  imports  the  Netherlands, 
or  land  newly  inhabited,  and  is 
supposed  to  designate  that  tract 
of  country,  lying  about  the 
lake  Semechon,  and  north  of 
Gennesareth,  and  between  it 
and  the  head  of  Jordan,  a 
marshy  region,  and  hence  the 
derivation  of  its  name.  It  was 
in  the  tribe  of  Manasseh,  east 
of  the  Jordan. 

TAMAR,  a  city  of  Judea 
mentioned  in  Ezekiel  xlvii,  19; 
xlviii,  28,  as  one  of  the  south- 
ern limits  of  this  country.  It 
must    be    about    the    south- 


ern point  of  the  Dead  Sea.  Eu- 
sebius  says,  that  Tamara  is  one 
days  journey  from  Malis,  or 
Malisha,  going  towards  Elia 
or  Jerti.salinn.     Lat.  31,  7. 

TAMNA,  a  city  of  Canaan 
on  the  road  from  Jerusalem  to 
Diospolis. 

TANACH,  a  city  of  the 
half  tribe  of  Manasseh,  on  this 
side  Jordan,  Josh,  xxi,  25,  xii, 

21.  It  was  yielded  up  to  the 
Levites,  Judges  i,  27.  Euse- 
bius,  St.  Jerome,  and  Proco- 
pius  of  Gaza,  say  that  even  in 
their  time  it  was  a  considera- 
ble place,  three  miles  distant 
from  Legio.  It  was  not  far 
from  Endor  and  Megiddo;  the 
Canaanites  retained  the  pos- 
session of  it  long  after  the  Is- 
raelites entered  the  country, 
Josh,  xvii,  and  xxi. 

TANIS,  a  city  of  Egypt,  in 
Hebrew  Zuan.  Moses  affirms 
that  Tanis,  orZoan,  is  later  by 
seven  years,  than  the  city  of 
Hebron  in  Canaan,  Num.  xiii, 

22,  and  the  Psalmist  asserts 
that  Moses  performed  his  mir- 
acles in  the  fields  of  Tanis, 
Ps.  lxxxviii,  12,  43.  This  city 
was  within  the  DeJta.  Isaiah, 
xix,  11,  13,  xxx,  24,  addres- 
ses the  princes  of  Tanis,  who 
were  conceited  of  their  wisdom 
and  prudence.  He  derides 
their  false  politics.  In  the  time 
of  this  prophet,  Tanis  was  the 
capital  of  the   Lower  Egypt. 


TAR 


TAR 


Ezekiel,  xxx,  14,  speaks  of 
Zoan,  but  St.  Jerome  has  trans- 
lated it  by  Taphnis,  instead  of 
Tan  is,  which  two  cities  were 
very  different  from  each  other. 
Tanis  was  situate  on  that  arm 
of  the  Nile,  which  was  nearest  to 
that  of  Damietta,  west.  Lat.31. 

TAPPUAH,  or  Taphon, 
the  apple  city,  a  city  upon  the 
frontiers  of  Manasse'n,  but  be-, 
longing  to  the  tribe  of  Ephraim, 
Josh,  xvii,  8.  It  is  thought 
to  be  the  same  with  En-tap- 
puah,  ibid.  7.  It  was  fortified 
by  Bacchides,  1  Mace,  ix,  50. 
Another  town  of  this  name, 
belonged  to  the  tribe  of  Judah, 
Josh,  xv,  34,  and  may  be  the 
same  with  Beth-tappuah  men- 
tioned ibid.  53.      Lat.  31,  21. 

TARAH,  or  Thare,  an 
encampment  of  the  Israelites 
in  the  desert.  They  came 
hither  from  Tahath,  and  went 
hence  to  Mithcah,  Num.  xxiii, 
27. 

T  ARAL  AH,  a  city  of  Ju- 
dea  belonging  to  the  tribe  of 
Benjamin,  Josh,  xviii,  27. 

TARICHE  A,  a  city  of  Gal- 
ilee, mentioned  by  Josephus, 
south  from  the  sea  of  Tiberias. 

TARSHISH,  see  Tharsish. 

TARSUS,  the  capital  of 
Cilicia,  and  the  native  city  of 
St.  Paul,  Acts  ix,  11;  xxi,39. 
Some  think  it  obtained  the 
privileges  of  a  Roman  colony, 
because  of  its  firm  adherence 


to  Julius  Caesar;  and  this  priv- 
ilege gave  the  inhabitants  the 
favor    of     being    citizens    of 
Rome,  which  St.  Paul  enjoy- 
ed. Others  maintain,  that  Tar- 
sus was   only  a  free  city,  but 
not  a  Roman  colony,  in    the    * 
time  of  St.  Paul,  and  that  on 
the  medals  no  footstep  is  found 
of    this   before   the   reign    of 
Caracalla  or  Heliogabalus;  and, 
therefore,  the  privilege  of  being 
a  citizen  of  Rome  belonged  to 
the  apostle,  not  from  being  a 
denizen    of    Tarsus,    but    by 
some  personal  right,  that,  his 
father  or  ancestors  had  obtain- 
ed.      See  -the  ^commentators 
upon  Acts  xvi,  37.     In   He- 
brew, this  place  is  called  Tar- 
shish.     Here  one  of  the  sons 
of  Javan  settled  in  these  parts. 
The  city  of  Tarshish  or  Tarsus 
stands  in  a  plain  on  the  banks 
of    the  river  Cvdnus,  and   in 
ancient  times  it  was  a    com- 
mercial and  rich  town. 

Here  dwelt  many  Jews. 
Among  them  the  parents  of 
our  apostle,  being  of  the  ancient 
sio£k,  not  entering  in  by  the 
gate  of  proseiytism,  but  origin- 
ally descended  both  of  them 
from  the  seed  of  Abraham, 
which  seems  to  be  the  plain, 
and  natural  meaning  of  our 
apostle's  styling  himself  an  He- 
brew of  the  Hebrews.  More- 
over, as  Tarsus  was  a  rich  and 
populous  city,   so   was   it   an 


TAR 


TEL 


Academy,  furnished  with  very 
eminent  men;  insomuch  that 
Strabo  scruples  not  to  say  of 
them,  that  they  excelled  in  all 
parts  of  polite  learning,  and 
philosophy,  even  those  of  Al- 
exandria and  Athens.  Rome 
itself  was  beholden  to  this  nur- 
sery of  learning  for  its  best  pro- 
fessors. Hence  St.  Paul,  be- 
ing bred  up  in  his  youth  in 
the  schools  of  Tarsus,  became 
so  fully  instructed  in  the  liberal 
arts  and  sciences,  and  so  well 
acquainted  with  the  heathen  au- 
thors. Nor  is  there  any  thing 
in  the  history  of  the  Acts, 
which  contradicts  this  opinion. 
For  surely  St.  Paul  might  be 
taught  school  learning  in  Tar- 
sus in  his  younger  years,  or 
while  he  was  a  boy,  yet  when 
he  came  to  be  about  the  age  of 
16,  be  brought  up  in  Jerusa- 
lem. 

But  as  our  apostle  had  a  learn- 
ed education,  so/was  he  also 
brought  up  to  a  particular 
trade,  according  to  the  great 
maxim  and  principle  of  the 
Jews,  that  he  who  teaches  not 
his  son  a  trade,  teaches  him  to 
be  a  thief.  They  thought  it 
not  only  fit,  but  a  necessary 
part  of  education  for  their 
wisest  and  most  learned  Rab- 
bins to  be  brought  up  to  a 
manual  trade,  by  which,  if  oc- 
casion required,  they  might  be 
able  to  maintain  themselves. 
62 


The  trade  that  our  apostle  was 
taught,  was  that  of  teni-inakit  g, 
at  which  he  sometimes,  and 
for  special  reasons,  wrought, 
even  after  being  called  to  the 
apostolate.  At  present  Tarsus 
is  reduced  to  a  heap  of  ruins. 
The  Greek  church  resembles 
a  thatched  barn,  nor  is  that  of 
the  Armenians,  much  better, 
said  to  be  erected  by  St.  Paul. 
The  people  here  show  the 
mosque,  where  they  say  the 
prophet  Daniel  was  buried. 
Lat.  36,  53,  long.  34,  52.  Lu- 
cas, Bowen. 

TEKOA,  a  city  of  the  tribe 
of  Judah,  2  Chron.  xi,  6.  It 
is  so  in  the  Greek,  Josh,  xv*,  6, 
but  not  in  the  Hebrew,  nor  in 
our  translation.  Eusebius  and 
St.  Jerome  place  Tekoa,  twelve 
milessouth  of  Jerusalem.  Men- 
tion is  made  of  the  wilderness 
of  Tekoa,  2  Ch.  xx,  20,  which 
was  not  far  from  the  Red  Sea, 
1  Mace,  ix,  4.  Amo»,  the 
prophet,  was  a  herdsman  of 
this  town,  Amos  i,  1.  To  this 
place  Jonathan  the  Maccabee 
retired  fromBacchides,ihe  gen- 
eral of  Syria;  to  this  city  there 
was  but  one  entrance. 

TELABIB,  aplaceinChal- 
dea,  between  the  rivers  Chebar 
and  Saocoras,  Ezek.  iii,  15. 

TELASSAR,Thelassar, 
a  place  belonging  to  the  chil- 
dren of  Eden.  See  Eden.  The 
exact  situation  of  this  province 


THA 


THA 


is  not  known;  but  it  is  thought 
to  have  b  Lni.i  the  country  of 
Armenia,  or  neajr  the  head  wa- 
ters of  the  Euphrates,  because 
a  place  in  that  region  is  called 
Eden,  and  those  places  are 
mentioned,  as  being  together, 
or  the  one  included  in  the 
other,  Isaiah  xxxvii,  and  2 
Kings  xix. 

'1  ELEM,  a  city  in  the  tribe 
of  Judah,  Josh,  h  .  24,  thought 
to  be  the  saaw  rlaim  in 

the  same  tiibe,  i  Sam.  xv,  4. 
Here  Saul  reviewed  his  army, 
when  marching  against  the 
Amalt  kites. 

TELHARSA,  and  Tel- 
mel ah,  countries  of  which  we 
know  no  more,  than  that  those, 
who  returned  thence  with  Ze- 
rubbabel  could  not  prove  their 
genealogies,  or  even  show  that 
they  were  of  the  race  of  Israel, 
Ezra  ii,  59. 

TFLIvJELA,  probably  a 
city  of  Chaidea. 

TEMAN.a  place  in  Arabia 
Petrea,  five  tnjies  from  Petra. 
It  was  the  station  of  a  Rum  an 
garrison. 

THARSHISH,  a  country  to 
which  Solomon  sent  his  fleets, 
I  Kings  x,  22,  2  Ciu,  ix,  11. 
A  multitude  of  ppir)joi  s  have 
prevailed  concerning  this  <  oun- 
try.  Josephus,  the  CI). Idee, 
and  Arabic  paraplvast  ex,  lain 
it  of  Tarsua,  a  ciU  of  Csl.i  a: 
the  Septuagint,  St.  Jerome,  and 


Theodoret,    understand    it   of 
Carthage.     The  Arabian  geog- 
rapher will  have  it  to  be  Tunis 
in  Africa.      Bochart  makes  it 
to  be  Tartessus,  an   island   in 
the  strait  of  Gades.     By  Thar- 
shish,    M.   Le    Clerc    under- 
stands Thassus,  an  island  and 
city  in  the  iEgean  sea.      Gro- 
tius  thinks  that  the  whole  ocean 
was  called  Tharshish,  and  that 
the  ships  of  Tharshish    were 
those  that  are  employed  in  voy- 
ages at  sea,  in  opposition  to  the 
small  vessels,  that  are  used  on- 
ly   in   most   navigable   rivers. 
The  Seventy   translate    Thar- 
shish  sometimes  by   The  sea; 
and  the    scripture    gives    the 
names  of  ships  of  Tharshish  to 
those,  that   were  fitted   out  at 
Ezion-geber,  on  the  Red  Sea, 
and    which    sailed    upon     the 
ocean,  as  well  as  to  those  that 
were  fitted  out  at  Joppa,  and  in 
the  ports  of  the  Mediterranean. 
On  one  side  we  see  that  Thar- 
shish signifies  the  city  of  Tar- 
sus in  Cilicia,  and  on  the  other 
side,  we  observe,  that  they  fit- 
ted out  ships  of  Tharshish,  or 
ships  logo  to  Tharshish,  in  pla- 
ces  whence,   we    cannot  sup- 
pose, that  they  went  to  Tarsus 
in  Ciiicia.      For  example,  the 
author  of  the  book  of  Judith  ii, 
1^;,   13,  describing  the  course 
or    conquests    of    Holofcrnes, 
s  ys,  he  went  into  Cilicia,  and 
desttoved  all  the   children   of 


THA 


THA 


Tharshish,  or  Tharsis.  Jonah,  i, 
3,  ckc.  flying  from  before  the 
face  of  the  Lord,  went  on  ship 
board  at  Joppa"  to  go  to  Tar- 
shish, probably  to  Tarsis  in 
Cilicia.  The  prophets,  Isai. 
xxiii,  1,  14;  lx,  19;  and  Ezek. 
xxvii,  12,  15;  xxxviii,  ±3, 
among  the  merchant  ships,  that 
came  to  traffic  at  Tyre,  put 
those  of  Tharshish.  Cilicia  was 
altogether  within  reach  from 
Tyre,  and  there  is  but  litde 
probability  that  they  should 
come  from  the  coasts  of  the 
ocean  to  trade  there.  Lastly, 
the  Psalmist,  Pa.  lxxii,  10, 
puts  the  kings  of  Tharshish 
with  those  of  the  isles:  "The 
kings  of  Tarshish  and  of  the 
isles  shall  bring  presents."  But 
by  the  isles  or  islands,  are  gen- 
erally meant  those  of  the  Med- 
iterranean, and  the  maritime 
places,  whither  the  Hebrews 
were  used  to  go  by  sea.  From 
all  these  passages  it  may  be 
concluded,  that  a  country  of 
Tharshish  was  upon  the  Med- 
iterranean, and  that  probably  it 
was  Cilicia. 

Therefore,  w  hen  we  see  ships 
fitted  out  upon  the  Red  sea,  or 
at  Ezion-geber,  in  order  to  go 
toTharshish,WT  must  conclude, 
one  of  these  two  things;  either 
that  there  were  two  countries 
called  Tharshish,  one  upon  the 
ocean,  and  another  upon  the 
Mediterranean;    or   that  ships 


of  Tharshish  in  general,  signify 
nothing  els'-,  luii  ships,  able  to 
bear  a  long  voyage,  large  nv  r- 
chant  ships,  in  opposition  to 
the  small  craft  intended  for  a 
coas  ing  trade,  or  in  navigable 
rivers.      Calmet. 

Let  us  now  follow  Dr. 
Weils,  who  f  >r  the  most  part 
agrees  with  Calmet.  Tarshish, 
saith  he,  is  a  celebrated  coun- 
try, often  mentioned  in  the  sa- 
cr  d  scripture,  but  where  it  is 
to  be  found,  the  learned  have 
not  been  able  to  determine  with 
certainty.  We  know  that  coun- 
tries were  commonly  denomin- 
ated from  the  persons  by  whom 
they  were  settled.  Tarshish, 
a  son  of  Javan,  with  his  family, 
it  is  very  evident,  settled  on  the 
south-eastern  coast  of  Asia  Mi- 
nor. Here  we  find  Tarsus^  a 
chief  town  of  Cilicia,  which 
carries,  in  its  name,  evident 
proof  of  being  founded,  either 
by  Tarshish  himself,  or  some  of 
his  descendants.  Josephus,also, 
asserts,  not  only  that  the  city 
was  so  called  from  Tarshish, 
but  that  the  country  round,  for 
the  same  reason,  was  called 
Tarshish.  This  certainly  ac- 
cords with  the  flight  of  Jonah, 
who  wished  to  escape  as  far 
as  possible  from  Nineveh,  to 
accomplish  which,  it  would  be 
natural  for  him  to  embark  at 
Joppa,  and  sail  to  Asia  Minor. 
It  is  not  improbable,  that  from 


THA 


THA 


the  Lesser  Asia,  colonies  might 
emigrate  to  the  southern  part 
of  Spain.  Accordingly  we 
find  TartessuSy  a  celebrated  city 
of  Spain,  not  far  from  the  strait 
of  Gibraltar.  The  change  be- 
ing easy  from  Tarshish  to  Tar- 
tish,  from  which  Tartessus  is 
regularly  formed.  When  the 
prophets  mention  the  com- 
merce of  Tarshish  with  Tyre, 
this  situation/ as  well  as  the  ar- 
ticles enumerated,  renders  the 
fact  probable.  Ezek.  xxvii, 
12,  "Tarshish  was  thy  mer- 
chant, by  reason  of  the  multi- 
tude of  all  kinds  of  riches,  Avith 
silver,  iron,  tin,  and  lead,  they 
traded  in  thy  fairs."  It  is  well 
known,  that  among  the  an- 
cients, Spain  was  celebrated  for 
these  very  metals,  enumerated 
by  the  prophet.  It  is  also  evi- 
dent, that  the  people  of  Tar- 
shish were  expert  seamen: 
Hence  the  whole  Mediterrane- 
an sea  seems  to  have  been  de- 
nominated the  sea  of  Tarshish, 
though  perhaps  at  first,  the 
name  might  be  applied  only  to 
the  waters  of  their  own  coast, 
Cilicia. 

Dr.  Wells,  whom  I  have 
implicitly  followed  thus  far, 
now  proceeds  to  solve  the  great 
difficulty,  which  has  perplex- 
ed, perhaps  almost  every  one, 
who  has  attended  to  the  subject. 
The  difficulty  is,  if  Tarshish 
lay  any  where  on  the  waters  of 


the  Mediterranean,  how  could 
a  fleet  sail  there,  which  Solo-> 
mon  fixed  out  at  Ezion-geber, 
a  port  of  the  Red  Sea?  Or 
rather,  if  he  wished  to  send  a 
commercial  fleet  to  Tarshish, 
why  did  he  not  send  it  from 
Joppa,  or  some  other  port  on 
the  Mediterranean,  which 
would  have  been  a  very  short 
and  safe  voyage,instead  of  send- 
ing them  down  the  Red  Sea, 
through  the  Indian  Ocean, 
round  the  Cape  of  Good  Hepe, 
and  across  the  Atlantic,  a  navi- 
gation round  the  continent  of 
Africa,  a  distance  of  six  or  sev- 
en thousand  miles.  We  can- 
not possibly  discover  his  "wis- 
dom" in  this.  To  this,  the 
Dr.  has  an  easy  answer,  if  it 
were  conclusive,  or  satisfacto- 
ry. He  says  .that,  "because 
the  descendants  of  Tarshish 
were  wont  to  make  longer 
voyages,  and  to  adventure  fur- 
ther into  the  open  sea,  than 
others  in  those  days;  it  is  not 
unlikely,  but  they  had  ships, 
built  for  this  purpose,  different 
both  as  to  size  and  shape  from 
those,  commonly  used  by  oth- 
ers; and  hence,  probably^  ves- 
sels built  for  long  voyages 
and  great  burdens,  were  called 
ships  of  Tarshish,  because  they 
were  built  like  the  ships  of 
Tarshish,  properly  so  called. 
This  to  me,  saith  the  Dr.  seems 
si  very   natural  and  easy  way 


THA, 


THA 


to  account  for  Solomon's  navy 
being  called  "a  navy  of  Tar- 
shish," and  for  the  ships  built 
by  Jehoshaphat's  order,  being 
called  ships  of  Tarshish.  For 
it  is  evident  from  what  is  said 
of  the  ships  of  Jehoshaphat,  that 
they  could  not  be  called  ships 
of  Tarshish,  as  trading,  either 
to  Tarshish,  or  to  any  colony 
of  it,  nor  yet  from  their  sailing 
on  the  sea  of  Tarshish,  or  the 
Mediterranean  sea.  For  scrip- 
ture tells  us,  that  these  ships 
were  broken  at  Ezion-geber, 
which  was  a  place  confessedly 
on  the  Red  Sea.  Indeed  it  is 
highly  probable  that  Jehosha- 
phat  was  not  the  first  king  of 
Judah,  who  attempted  to  send 
a  navy  of  his  to  Ophir,  but  that 
he  did  it  in  imitation  of  Solo- 
mon, who  had  formerly  sent  a 
navy  there  with  success.  On 
the  whole  therefore,  it  appears, 
that  the  navy  of  Solomon  was 
called  a  navy  of  Tarshish,  and 
the  ships  of  Jehoshaphat  were 
called  the  ships  of  Tarshish, 
probably,  because  they  were 
built  after  the  fashion  of  those 
ships,  which  were  used  by  the 
merchants  of  Tarshish.  This 
may  be  the  reason  why  the  Sev- 
enty interpreters  sometimes 
render  the  ships  of  Tarshish,  by 
ships  of  the  sea;  i.  e.  in  oppo- 
sition to  smaller  vessels  used 
in  shorter  voyages,  or  for  coast- 
ers.    Thus  far  the  learned  Dr. 


This  is  all  plausible  and  easy; 
but,  how  came  the  wise  and 
good  man  to  overlook  2  Chron. 
xx,;".6,  37,  "And  he  (Jehosha- 
phat) joined  himself  with  him 
(Ahaziah  king  of  Israel)  to 
make  ships  to  go  to  Tarshish. 
And  they  made  the  ships  at 
Ezion-geber."  "And  the  ships 
were  broken,  that  they  were 
not  able  to  go  to  Tarshish?1 
Here  the  Jewish  historians,  in 
a  few  words,  twice  inform  us, 
that  the  navy  was  not  merely 
like  that  of.  Tarshish,  or  the 
ships  large,  like  those  of  Tar- 
shish; but  that  the  design  of 
the  kings  was,  that  this  navy 
should  sail  to  Tarshish;  that 
they  were  disappointed,  their 
navy  was  dashed  on  the  rocks 
of  the  harbor,  for  which  it  is 
remarkable,  and  they  were  not 
able  to  go  to  Tarshish.  Per- 
haps, the  only  method,  there- 
fore, of  solving  the  difficulty  is, 
to  suppose  what  is  very  proba- 
ble, that  different  and  remote 
places,  one  on  the  Mediterra- 
nean, the  other  on  the  Red 
Sea,  or  Indian  Ocean,  were 
called  Tharshish.  We  know 
that  nothing  is  more  common 
than  for  colonists  to  name  the 
place  where  they  settle,  for 
that  whence  they  came,  and  in 
this  way  to  multiply  places  of 
the  same  name.  This  must, 
I  think,  be  inevitably  the  fact, 
that  some  place  in  the  Indian 


THA 


THA 


Ocean  was  called  Tarshish,  or 
that  Solomon  and  Jehoshaphat 
fixed  out  ships  in  the  Red  Sea, 
to  sail  into  the  Mediterranean; 
this  is  so  absurd,  not  to  say 
impossible,  that  I  think  no  one 
can  hesitate  to  suppose  there 
must  have  been  a  Tharshish 
somewhere  in  Arabia,  India, 
or  the  southern  part  of  Africa. 
Should  a  merchant  or  king 
fix  out  a  fleet  at  Porto  Belloy 
on  the  west  side  of  Darien,  to 
go  to  Cape  Elizabeth,  should 
we  at  all  conclude,  that  it 
would  not  be  Cape  Eliz  beth 
on  the  shore  of  Maine;  should 
we  not  certainly  conclude,  that 
there  was  such  a  place  some- 
where on  the  western  side  of 
the  continent,  though  we  had 
never  heard  that  it  was  on  the 
North- West  Coast,  about  Lat. 
59,  north.  Should  we  not  be 
established  in  our  conviction, 
if  we  knew,  that  this  merchant 
or  prince,  possessed  several 
fine  ports  on  the  gulf  of  Mex- 
ico, from  which,  with  little  ex- 
pense and  hazard  he  might 
have  sent  his  ships,  had  they 
been  destined  to  our  neighbor- 
hood? That  the  kings  of  Israel 
should  send  ships  from  ports 
in  the  Red  Sea,  to  trade  in  the 
ports  of  the  Mediterranean,  is 
equally  absurd,  and  defies  all 
belief;  yet  this  is  the  fact,  un- 
less there  was  a  Tharshish,  be- 
side that  in  the  Mediterranean. 


This  subject  is  further  illustra- 
ted under  the  article  Ophir, 
which  see. 

It  may  not  be  entirely  out  of 
place  to  add  here,  that  a  respec- 
table writer  in  the  Asiatic  Re- 
searches, thinks  it  more  than 
probable  that  Sumatra  must 
have  been  the  Ophir  of  Solo- 
mon. This  conjecture,  he  says, 
derives  no  small  force  from  the 
word  Ophir  being  really  a  Ma- 
lay substantive,  of  a  compound 
sense,  signifying  a  mountain, 
which  contains  gold.  The  na- 
tives have  no  written,  or  oral 
tradition  on  the  subject,except- 
ing  that  the  island  has  in  torm- 
er  times,  afforded  gold  for  ex- 
portation, and  that  the  vessels 
were  detained  a  long  time, 
neui  ly  a  year.  It  is  probable, 
therefore,  that  they  wintered, 
during  the  violence  of  the  S. 
W.  monsoon,  either  at  Cey- 
lon, or  on  the  N.  E.  coast,  and 
completed  their  voyages,  dur- 
ing the  moderate  part  of  the 
ensuing  monsoon.  (Vol.  i,  p. 
338.)  ' 

As  the  Ophir  and  Tarshish 
of  scripture  have  such  a  rela- 
tion, Ave  shall  close  this  article, 
with  an  extract  from  the  Ge- 
ographical Index,  published 
with  the  late  edition  of  Wells' 
Geography  respecting  Ophir. 
"If  the  region  of  Ophir  took 
its  name  from  Ophir,  the  son 
of  Joktan,  Gen.  x,   29,  as  is 


THA 


THA 


usually  supposed,  we  must,  in 
order  to  ascertain  where  this 
region  lay,  discover  where 
Ophir  settled.  Moses  says  ex- 
pressly, that  the  sons  of  Joktan 
dwelt  between  Mesha  and 
mount  Sephar,  a  mountain  of 
Kedem.  If  we  place  Kedern 
at  or  near  the  head  of  the  river 
Indus,  we  shall  find  the  land  of 
Havilah,  brother  of  Ophir,  in 
tlie  land  of  Cabul,  in  that  re- 
gion; and  of  consequence  we 
may  seek  for  Ophir  not  far  dis- 
tant from  it.  To  this  agrees  the 
sentiment  of  the  Targumist  on 
Eccles.  ii,5,  who  says,  "  I  plant- 
ed me  all  trees  of  spice,  which 
the  goblins  and  demons  brought 
me  out  of  India."  We  know 
no  more  likely  opportunity  for 
this  bringing  to  Solomon,  than 
that  by  the  Ophir  fleet;  and  it 
certainly  supposes  an  inter-, 
course  between  Solomon  and 
the  regions  where  we  have 
placed  Ophir.  The  spice  trees, 
we  know,  are  natives  of  the 
hottest  climates:  and  possibly 
the  phrase  "goblins  and  de- 
mons," may  refer  to  the  Ty- 
rian  sailors,  by  whom  Solo- 
mon's fleet  was  navigated;  and 
to  the  deities,  they  worshipped; 
and  with  the  rites  they  prac- 
tised in  their  voyage.  We 
can  hardly  suppose  that  Solo- 
mon would  let  them  erect  their 
idols  in  any  conspicuous  places 
in  his  ships:  but  he  could  not 


prevent  their  customs  at  sea; 
nor  their  giving  any  names, 
they  pleased  to  the  vessels,  they 
navigated;  even  those  of  gob- 
lins and  demons.  Instead  cf 
a  circuitous  rouce  to  the  head 
of  the  Euphrates,  as  Calmet 
would  lead  us,  when  the  jour- 
ney by  land  would  have  been 
nearer,  the  voyage  to  India  was 
direct  and  regular,  as  it  still  is; 
from  the  coast  of  Malabar,  to 
Mocha,  anciently  to  Berenice, 
Cossien,  &c.  in  the  Red  Sea, 
being  a  line  of  intercourse  never 
wholly  abandoned.  With  re- 
gard to  the  length  of  time,  three 
years,  I  presume  we  are  to  take 
it  according  to  the  Hebrew 
manner  of  reckoning,  for  part 
of  the  first  year,  the  whole  of 
the  second  year,  and  part  of  the 
third  year.  If  then  we  sup- 
pose with  Mr.  Bruce,  that  Sol- 
omon's fleet,  following  the 
course  of  the  winds  during 
June,  July,  August,  Septem- 
ber, and  October,  sailed  down 
the  Red  Sea  for  the  ocean:  say 
they  passed  the  straits  of  Babel- 
mandel  in  October,  they  might 
then  proceed  over  to  the  Indus, 
spend  one  year  in  taking  in 
their  lading  there,  and  repass 
the  straits  homeward,  in  the 
months  of  November,  Decem- 
ber, January,  February,  March, 
and  Apri-'.  This  the  Hebrews 
would  reckon  three  years,  the 
space  included  being  part   of 


THA 


THA 


the  first,  and  part  of  the  third 
years.     Supposing'  the  fleet  to 
be  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Indus,  it  could  do  no  business, 
except   in   places  where  com- 
merce was  carried  on,  nor  could 
it  procure  gold,  except  in  some 
capital  trading    city:    it    was 
therefore^  under  the  necessity 
of  advancing  up  the   river,  to 
some  of  those  famous  marts, 
which  occupied  its  banks,  anC 
in  this  navigation 'a  considera- 
ble portion  of  time  must  have 
been  consumed.   We  suppose, 
however,  that  the  gold  of  O- 
phir   was  brought  some    way 
down  the  Indus,    to  a  station, 
say,  the  present  Moultan,  and 
that  here  the  Tyrians  exchang- 
ed their  cargoes  for  it.     If  it 
be  thought  unlikely,  that  the 
Jewish  vessels   should  sail  up 
the   Indus,   we  may    suppose 
that   they  went    to   the   same 
places  and  ports  as  the  Egyp- 
tian navigators  afterwards  did: 
that  is  to  say,  to  Musiris,  a  har- 
bor on  the  Malabar  coast,  now 
Merjee,  or  to  Barace,  now  Bar- 
celore.     Pliny    calls    Musiris, 
the    first   emporium  in   India, 
and  he  gives  an  account  of  the 
time  occupied  in    the  naviga- 
tion between  the  two  countries; 
informing  us,  that  from  Bere- 
nice ships  take  their  departure 
about  midsummer,  and  in  thir- 
ty days  reach  the  mouth  of  the 
Arabian  gulf;  thence   in  forty 


days  to  Musiris.  ,  They  begin 
their  voyage  home,  early  in 
December.  We  must  under- 
stand that  at  this  time  the  ves- 
sels followed  the  coast  for  the 
most  part,  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Indus,  and  thence,  down  the 
western  shore  of  the  continent 
to  Musiris.  But  the  object  of 
these  vessels  was  certainly  com- 
modities, not  the  gold  of  O- 
phir;  for  in  quitting  the  mouths 
of  the  Indus,  they  quitted  the 
course  to  that  country.  We 
consider  it,  therefore,  as  very 
probable,  that  the  difference  of 
time  was  lost,  either"  in  ascend- 
ing the  Indus  in  those  vessels 
which  composed  this  fleet,  or 
in  trans-shipping  into  vessels 
of  the  country  the  goods  they 
had  brought,  and  receiving 
others  in  return. 

That  the  river  Indus  was 
capable  of  receiving  ships  of 
burden  is  evident  from  the  his- 
tory of  Alexander.  The  fol- 
lowing extracts  are  from  Mr. 
Arrowsmith's  large  map  of  the 
course  of  the  Indus,  and  agree 
perfectly  with  what  we  have 
suggested.  It  is  the  opinion 
of  major  Rennell,  that  under 
the  Ptolemies,  the  Egyptians 
extended  their  navigation  to 
the  extreme  point  of  the  In- 
dian continent,  and  even  sailed 
up  the  Ganges  to  Palibothra% 
now  Patna.  What  major  Ren- 
nell supposes  might  be  done  in 


TAR 


THE 


the  Ganges,   I  suppose   might 
be  done  in  the  Indus. 

"The  river  Indus  admitted 
of  an  uninterrupted  navigation 
from  the  sea  up  to  die  gulf  of 
Cutcli  to  Lahore,  for  vessels 
of  near  220  tons:  a  distance  of 
about  760  geographical  aiiles." 
"Scylax  built  vessels  and  sail- 
ed down  the  Indus,"  on  the 
Cow  o^  Cuwmull  river,  which 
joins  the  Indus  about  Lat.  32, 
45.  hi  most  three  degrees  high 
er  than  the  branch,  which  com- 
municates with  Lahore.  "Al- 
exander built  vessels  on  the 
Hydaspes,  now  Bebut  river," 
in  about  the  same  latitude,  but 
on  a  branch  of  the  Indus,  which 
is  but  small  in  comparison  of 
the  main  river.  From  lat.  S3 
to  34  the  river  Indus  was  from 
three  quarters  of  a  mile  to  a 
mile  across,  in  July  1733.  At- 
tock  Benares,  probably  the 
most  ancient  university  for 
learning,  a  city  reckoned  sacred 
by  the  Hindoos,  and  a  city  of 
great  trade  in  ancient  time,  is 
situated  on  the  mdus  at  this 
part  of  the  river.  The  name 
of  the  Indus,  or  Sinde  river  is 
Nilab.  This  Attock  Benares 
precisely  answers  our  purpose 
as  to  a  commercial  town  on 
the  Indus.  The  streams  which 
fell  into  the  Indus,  from  the 
Caucasean  mountains,  would 
convey  the  productions  of  the 
land  of  Ophir.  An  idea  of 
63 


what  these  generally  were,  may 
be  formed  from  major  Wil- 
ford's  description  of  the  land 
of  Chabila,  adjacent   to  Ophir. 

He  mentions  particularly 
gold,  as  found  near  the  surface 
of  the  earth;  but  purer  still  by 
digging  to  a  considerable  depth, 
and  that  it  might  be  procured 
in  great  quantities. 

THEBEZ,  a  city  of  Canaan 
in  the  tribe  of  Ephraim,  at  the 
siege  of  which  Abimelech  was 
killed.  Eusebius  says  there 
was  a  village  called  Thebez  in 
his  time,  thirteen  miles  from 
Shechem  towards  Scythopoiis. 
Lat.  32,  18. 

THESSALONICA,  called 
Salonichi,  is  the  metropolis  of 
Macedonia,  and  the  seat  of  a 
Turkish  prefect.  It  stands  at 
the  head  of  a  gulf  to  which  it 
gives  its  name,  which  makes 
up  north  from  the  Archipelago, 
lat.  40,40,  N.  long.  23,  12,£. 
The  ci  y  is  populous,  and  ten 
or  twelve  miles  in  compass.  It 
stands  partly  on  a  hill,  ;  nd 
partly  on  its  declvity.  It  is 
surrounded  with  walls,  which 
are  defended  with  three  casties, 
provided  with  forty  heavy  can- 
non. The  town  carries  on  a 
considerable  traffic,  and  has  a 
multitude  of  Jews,  bv  whom 
the  business  is  chiefly  manag- 
ed. Here  are  48  mosques,  sev- 
eral of  which  were  once  splen- 
did churches,  when  Christian? 


THE 


THE 


ity  flourished  here.  Here  now 
are  30  Christian  churches,  and 
36  synagogues  for  the  Jews. 
One  of  the  mosques,  once  the 
church  of  St.  Demetrius,  is 
said  to  be  on  the  spot,  where 
the  house  stood  in  which  St. 
Paul  preached.  It  is'  a  most 
noble  building,  supported  by 
beautiful  columns  of  marble, 
jasper,  and  porphyry. 

Stephen  of  Byzantium  says', 
that  this  city  was  improved  and 
beautified  by  Philip,  king  of 
Macedon,  and  called  Thessa- 
ionica,  in  memory  of  the  vic- 
tory, that  he  obtained  over  the 
Thessalnnians.  Its  old  name 
was  Thesttiat  but  Strabo  and 
some  others  will  have  it,  that 
it  rook  its  name  from  Thessa- 
Wiica,  the  wife  of  Cassander, 
and  daughter  of  Philip.  There 
were  a  good  number  of  Jews 
there,  who  were  in  possession 
of  a  synagogue,  Acts  xvii,  1,  2, 
3,  &c.  St.  Paul  came  thither 
in  the  year  52  of  the  vulgar 
era,  and  entering  into  the  syn- 
agogue, according  to  his  cus- 
tom, he  preached  to  the  con- 
gregation out  of  the  scriptures, 
for  three  Sabbath  days  succes- 
sively, proving  to  them,  that 
Jesus  was  the  Christ,  and  that 
of  necessity,  he  was  to  suffer 
and  to  rise  again  from  the 
dead.  Some  Jews  were  con- 
verted to  Jesus  Christ,  as  also 
a  great  multitude  of  Gentiles, 


that  feared  God,  and  many 
women  of  quality.  But  the 
rest  of  the  Jews,  being  pos- 
sessed by  a  false  zeal,  raised  a 
great  commotion  in  the  city, 
and  came  in  a  tumult  to  the 
house  of  Jason,  intending  to 
seize  Paul  and  Silas,  who  lodg- 
ed there,  and  to  take  them  be- 
fore the  magistrates,  with  a 
great  cry,  and  saying,  that 
these  people  were  rebels  and 
traitors  against  Caesar,  main- 
taining (hat  there  was  another 
king  called  Jesus,  to  whom 
their  allegiance  was  due.  How- 
ever, Jason  and  the  brediren 
conducted  Paul  and  Silas  out 
of  the  city,  on  their  way  to 
Berea. 

About  A.M.  3837  the  Ro- 
mans took  this  city  from  the 
Greeks;  and  in  A.  D.  885  it 
was  subjugated  by  the  Sara- 
cens; but  Simeon,  a  secretary 
of  the  Greek  emperor,  redeem- 
ed it  with  a  large  sum  of 
money;  and  in  A.D.  1 180  Wil- 
liam of  Sicily  took  the  city 
from  the  Greek  emperor.  In 
1313  it  was  sold  to  the  Vene- 
tians, and  in  1430  it  was  taken 
by  the  Turks.  The  place  is 
in  a  state  of  decay,  like  almost 
every  other  spot  ol  the  globe, 
under  the  Turkish  dominion, 
and  exhibits  a  scene  of  mag- 
nificent ruins,  witnesses  of  its 
former  opulence  and  splendor, 
260  miles  W.  of  Constantino- 


the 


THE 


pie.   Lat.  41,40.     Martiniere, 
Lucas. 

Who  were  the  first  inhabi- 
tants   of    this    and    the    other 
provinces  of  Greece,  has  been 
a  question  with    the   learned. 
Josephus    affirms    that  Javan, 
the  son  of  Japheth,  settled  this 
country.       Bochart     confirms 
this.     Here  it  may  be  remark- 
ed, that   most   of  our  distin- 
guished writers  on  the  prophe- 
cies, have  with  more  pertinacity 
than    wisdom    given   the  four 
great  monarchies  of  the  world 
to  the  sons  of  Japheth  or  Shem. 
This,  it  seems,  has  been  done 
to  accommodate  the  event  to 
the  supposed  prophecy  of  No- 
ah,   which    doomed    the    de- 
scendants of  Ham  or   Cayman 
to  perpetual    slavery.       "The 
whole  continent  of  Africa  was 
peo  led  principally  by  the  de- 
scendants   of   Ham;    and    for 
how  many  ages  have  the  bet- 
ter parts  of  that  country  lain 
under    die    dominion    of   the 
Romans,  and  then  of  the  Sar- 
acens, and  now  of  the  Turks." 
"There  never  has  been  a  son 
of   Ham,   who  has    shaken    a 
sceptre  over  the  head   of   Ja- 
pheth.     Shem   hath  subdued 
Japheth,  and  Japheth  subdued 
Shem;    but  Ham  never    sub- 
dued either."    Mede,  Newton. 
So  precise  a  construction  of  the 
prophecy  is    unnecessary,  es- 
pecially, if  it    contravene  the 


records  of  history.     Noah  did 
not  sa\ ,    that  every  individual 
of  Canaan's  children  should  oe 
slaves;  still  less  did  he  say  that 
every  descendant    from    Ham 
should  wear  the  yoke  of  bond- 
age.     A  common  method  of 
Providence   is  to  raise  an  as- 
piring individual  to  the  throne 
of  despotism,  to   enslave   the 
whole  nation.     These  he  har- 
nesses .in  chains  to  tread  down 
other  countries.     Accordingly, 
Dr.  Hales  says,  "that  the  Ham- 
ites   in  general,   like   the  Ca- 
naanites  of  old,  were  a  seafar- 
ing race,  and  sooner    arrived 
at  civilization,  and  the  luxu- 
ries of  life,  than  their  simpler 
pastoral  and  agricultural  breth- 
ren of  the  other  iwo  families. 
The  frst  great  empires  of  As- 
syria and  Egypt  were  founded 
by  them.       The    republics   of 
Tyre,  and  Sidon,  and  Carthage 
were    early  distinguished    for 
their  commerce;  but  they  soon 
fell  to  decay,  and  Egypt  has 
become    the    basest  of   king- 
doms, successively  in  subjec- 
tion  to  the    Shemites,  and  Ja- 
phethites,  as  have  also  the  oth- 
er branches  of  the  Hamites." 
The  curse  of  Noah  dooms  the 
descendants  of  Canaan  to  sla- 
very.   With  regard  to  the  oth- 
er descendants  of  Ham,  they 
appear  to  have  been  "wiser  in 
their  generation,"  than  the  chil- 
dren of  either  Shem  or  of  J;v 


THE 


THY 


pheth;    and   to   them  we   un- 
doubtedly owe  the  rudiments 
of  all  the  fine   arts.      As  for 
the   four   great    empires,    the 
first,  or  Babylonian,  was  clearly  * 
founded  by  Nimrod,  after  he 
had    expelled    or    reduced    to 
slavery  the  sons  of  Shem,  who 
were  originally  settled    in  that 
country.  The  second  may  pos- 
sibly have  been  vested  in  the 
line  of  Shem,  though  even  that 
point  is  far  from  being  satis- 
factorily established:    but   the 
third,   or  the  Grecian,  if  any 
credit  be  due  to  history,  was 
erected  not  by  the  descendants 
of  Japheth,    but   by  those  of 
Ham.    Greece  might  probably 
have  been  first  peopled  by  Ja- 
pheth;  but  those  aborigines  were 
soon  conquered,  and  either  ex- 
tirpated, or  incorporated  with 
a  totally  different  race.     It  is 
impossible  to  derive  the  latter 
Greeks,  so  celebrated  to  this 
day  for  their  proficiency  in  the 
arts  and  sciences,  from  the  line 
of  Japheth,  unless  we  contradict 
the  whole  tenor  of  history.  Di- 
odorus    Siculus    asserts,    that 
some  of  the  original  leaders  of 
the  Athenians  were  Egyptians; 
and  that  the  Athenians  them- 
selves,  were    a    colony   from 
Sais    in    Egypt.       Herodotus 
speaks  in  a  similar  manner  of 
the    Dorians,    and    Pausanias 
gives  the  same  account  of  the 
Megareans.       Lelex  also,  the 


father  or  leader  of  the  Leleges, 
came  from   Egypt.     The  Pe- 
loponnesus was  for  the    most 
part  peopled   by  Dorians;  and 
the  Leleges  established   them- 
selves   in   Megara.     In  short, 
the  most   celebrated  leaders  of 
the  Grecian  colonies,  such  as 
Danaus,    E'ectheus,    Cecrops, 
Cadmus,  and  Phoenix,  all  came 
from  Egypt.    Hence  it  is  man- 
ifest,   that    the   Greeks   were, 
strictly  speaking,  an  Egyptian 
nation,  and   consequently    not 
the  descendants  of  Japheth,  but 
of  Ham.      Horce  Mosaic  ce  of 
Faber. 

THISBE,  the  country  of 
Tobit,  i,  2.  It  was  to  the  right 
hand,  that  is,  to  the  south  of  the 
city  of  Kadesh,  the  capital  of 
Naphtali.  Some  have  thought 
that  Elijah  the  Tishbite  was  a 
native  of  the  city  of  Thisbe  in 
Galilee:  but  that  he  had  been 
for  a  long  time  an  inhabitant 
of  the  country  of  Gilead:  "E- 
lijah,  the  Tishbite,  who  was  of 
the  inhabitants  of  Gilead,"  1 
Kings  xvii,  1. 

THREE  TAVERNS,  a 
place  thirty- three  miles  south 
from  the  city  of  Rome,  where 
probably  there  were  three 
houses  of  entertainment.  Acts 
xxviii,  15.     Lat.  41,  30. 

THYATIRA,  a  city,  winch 
some  ascribe  to  Mysia,  and 
others  to  Lydia,  or  to  Asia 
Minor,  because  it  is  upon  the 


THY 


THY 


frontiers  of  these  three  provin- 
ces.    This    is  what    St.  John 
says  in   his  revelation,  ch.   ii, 
18,  19,  &c.  "To  the  bishop  or 
angel   of  Thyatira:    "I  know 
thy   works,    and  charity,  and 
service,  and  faith,  and  thy  pa- 
tience,  and  thy  works,  and  the 
last  to  be  more  than  the  first: 
notwithstanding,  I  have  a  few 
things    against   thee,    because 
thou  sufferest  that  woman  Jez- 
ebel,   who    calleth    herself    a 
prophetess,   to   teach   and   se- 
duce my  servants  to   commit 
fornication,  and  to   eat  things 
sacrificed    unto    idols:     and    I 
gave  her  space  to  repent  of  her 
fornication,  and   she   repented 
not.     Behold    I  will   cast   her 
into  a  bed,  and  them  that  com- 
mit adultery  with  her  into  great 
tribulation,  except  they  repent 
of  their  deeds:  and  I  will  kill 
her  children  with   death;    and 
all    the   churches  shall   know, 
that  I  am  he  that  searches  the 
reins  and  the  hearts:  and  I  will 
give  unto  every  one  of  you  ac- 
cording to  your  works.     But 
unto  you   I  say,  and  unto  the 
rest  m  Thyatira,  as  many  as 
have    not    this    doctrine,    and 
which    have    not    known     the 
depths  of  Satan,  as  they  speak, 
I  will  put  upon  you  none  oth- 
er burden,  but  that  which  ye 
have    already;   hold  fast  till  I 
come,  &c."      It  is  not  known 
who   the   angel   or  bishop   of 


Thyatira  was,  to  whom  these 
words  are  directed.  Ikit  the 
following  account  from  one 
who  has  visited  the  place,  may 
be  interesting  to  the  Christian 
reader.  We  passed  on,  says 
he,  south-east  from  Pergamus, 
through  the  plains,  with  hopes 
to  find  some  ruins  on  the  north 
side  of  the  Phrygian  river,  (the 
Hermus)  and  being  guided  by 
Ferrarius,  who  placed  Thyatira 
between  Sardis  and  Pergamus, 
viz.  thirty  miles  from  Sardis, 
and  eighteen  from  Per.  am  us. 
Toward  the  south  is  a  ridge  of 
hills;  on  the  other  side  of  which, 
in  the  way  to  Sardis,  stands 
the  city  Thyatira,  a  colony  of 
the  Macedonians.  When  we 
supposed  ourselves  near  to  the 
place,  wThich  they  called  Mor- 
mor,  or  marble,  from  the  large 
quarries,  which  exist  there,  and 
are  the  finest  and  whitest  veins 
I  ever  beheld;  of  which  there 
remained  certain  ru  ined  houses; 
evidently  modern,  as  we  under- 
stood afterwards,  they  had  been 
deserted  by  the  inhabitants, 
who  removed  thence  to  a  more 
commodious  situation,  not  far 
distant,  which  they  denominat- 
ed from  the  white  marble  rocks 
of  their  old  habitation  Akhisar, 
or  white  castle.  To  that  place, 
being  about  five  English  miles, 
we  bent  our  course,  and  found 
a  city  well  inhabited,  and  con- 
siderable for  the  trade  of  cou 


THY 

ton.     At  our  entrance,  casting 
our  eyes  on  pillars  and  broken 
stones,    with    rare   sculptures, 
and     on     inscriptions,    which 
at  a  distance  were  so  fair,  that 
they    seemed    almost    legible; 
we  immediately  apprehended, 
that  this  must  have  been  the 
an<  ient   Tivyatira,    which   was 
more  assuredly  confirmed,  so 
soon  as  we  read  an  inscription, 
on  what  we  took  for  a  pedestal 
of  a  pillar,  in  the  midst  of  the 
market  place,  which  served^  to 
support  the  new  buildings.  The 
inscription  in  English   begins 
thus;  "The  most  potent  coun- 
cils of  the  Thyatireans,  &c." 
Proceeding  forwards  we  found 
the   stone   of  a   sepulchre,  of 
which  a  tanner  made  use,  rilled 
with   hides  and   lime,  and  on 
which  there  was  an  inscription 
mentioning  likewise,  the  "most 
potent  and  most  great  city  of 
the  Thyatireans."     We  found 
also  on  a  large  sepulchre,  plac- 
ed in  an  open  court,    belong- 
ing to  a  Turk  of  quality,  in 
another  inscription,  mention  of 
the    "most   excellent    city    of 
the  Thyatireans;"    with  others 
to  the  same  purpose. 

The  city  Akhisar,  or  Thya- 
tira,  is  situated  near  to  that  riv- 
er, which  Pliny  calls  the  Iaj- 
cas;  which  though  it  waters 
not  the  town,  yet  it  improves 
and  fertilizes  'those  pleasant 
plains,    through  which  it  runs. 


THY 

The  town  itself  receives  so  full 
a  stream  from,  a  neighboring 
hill,  as  is  divided  according  to 
the  report  of  the  inhabitants,  in- 
to 3700  rivulets,  so  that  every 
house  flows,  and  every  street  is. 
supplied,  with  full  channels  of 
delightful   waters.      The  air  is 
wholesome,    and   the   country 
round  rich  and  delightful,  and 
agreeable  to  the  foundation  of 
so  renowned  a  city,  which,  as  it 
flourishes  with   trade,  is  more 
happy,  than    her  desolate  and 
comfortless  sisters.      Thyatira 
is  48  miles    south-east  Perga- 
mo,  on  a   beautiful  plain,   17 
miles  in  extent,  sown  with  corn 
and  cotton.     It  is  inhabited  by 
about  5000  Turks,  who  have 
eight  mosques.  Amid  so  many 
inhabitants,  so  many  mosques. 
so  many  mighty  ruins  of  for- 
mer magnificence,  not  a  single 
church  of  Christ  remains,  not 
a  single  person,  unless  it  be  a 
few  "slaves,    pretends   to    the 
Christian  name.     So  fatally,  so 
literally  is  the  Divine  threaten- 
ing executed,  "I  will  kill  her 
children;  I  will  give  unto  eve- 
ry   one     according     to,    their 
works."     Long.  28,  30,  east, 
lat.    38,    48,    north.       Seally. 
The  present  state  of  the  seven 
churches  addressed  in  the  rev- 
elation of  St.  John,  is  as  seven 
pillars  to  support  the  Divine  au- 
thority of  scripture  prophecy. 
Concerning    these    places,    a 


THY 


THY 


traveller,  Thomas  Smith,  B.D. 
who  had  visited  them  himself, 
makes  the  following  serious 
and  sensible  observations*  "By 
this  short  en  id  imperfect  sur- 
vey, the  curious  reader  may  be 
sadly  convinced,  in  what  a  de- 
plorable condition,  these  o.iee 
famous  and  el6rious  churches 
of  Asia  ace  at  this  day;  churches 
which  had  the  apostles  for  their 
founders,  and  which  yielded  so 
many  martyrs,  and  which  a- 
bounded  widi  so  many  myriads 
of  Christians,  whose  patience 
and  valor  triumphed  over  the 
tyranny,  the  malice,  and  the 
hatred  of  their  heathen  perse- 
cutors, and  which  afteiHv'ard, 
when  the  empire  became  Chris- 
tian, and  the  civil  power  sub- 
mitted itself  to  the  law  and  dis- 
cipline of  Christ,  and  when  the 
cross,  which  before  was  had  in 
such  execration,  w;is  held  the 
highest  ornament  of  the  crown, 
advanced  in  splendor  and  gfory 
above  what  they  h  •'  enjoyed  in 
the  times  of  heathenism,  and 
which  upon  a  due  considera- 
tion of  the  circumstances,  one 
might  trulyenough  judge  should 
have  been  eternal,  and  placed 
almost  out  of  all  possibility  of 
of  danger  and  ruin,  now  turned 
into  heaps  of  rubbish;  scarce 
one  stone  left  upon  another, 
some  of  them  utterly  uninhab- 
ited,  and  the  remains  of  all  nor 
ribjy  frightful  and  amazing.    I 


shall  not  here  lament  the  sad 
reverses  and  vicissitudes  of 
things,  and  the  usual  dhanges 
and  chances  of  mortal  life,  nor 
Upbraid  the  Greeks  of  lux- 
ury and  stupidity,  which  have 
brought  the->e  horrid  desola- 
tions upon  their  country;  these 
are  very  useful,  but  very  ordi- 
n  iry  speculations.  Tl  at  which 
affected  me  wi;h  the  deepest 
anguish,  and  most  sorrowful 
resentment,  when  I  was  upon 
the  place,  and  does  still,  w:  s  and 
is  a  reflection  upon  the  threat- 
ening made  against  Ephesus,  in 
the  second  chapter  ol  the  Reve- 
lations of  St.  John,  who  made 
his  jbode  in  di.it  city,  and  died 
there.  Remember  from  whence 
thou  art  fallen,  and  do  the  first 
works  or  else  I  will  come  unto 
thee  quiefd/j,  and  Will  remove 
thy  candlestick  out  of  its  place y 
except  thou  repent.  And  upon 
a  far: i.e.  and  more  serious  con- 
sideration, as  I  sorrowfully- 
walked  through  tlii:  ruins  of  til.  t 
city,  especially,  1  concluded 
most  agreeabiy,  not  only  to  my 
function,  but  to  the  nature  of 
the  thing,  and  I  am  confident 
that  rto  vvibeorgiod  man,  who 
shall  cast  his  eyes  upon  these 
loose  and  hasty  observations, 
will  deny  the  con<  lusion  to  be 
just  and  true,  that  the  sad  and 
direful  calamities,  win  h  have 
ii  volved  these  Asian  churches, 
ought  to  proclaim  to  die  pres- 


TIB 


TIB 


ent  flourishing  churches  of 
Christendom,  as  much  as  if 
art  angel  were  sent  express 
from  heaven  to  denounce  the 
judgment,  what  they  are  to  ex- 
pect, and  what  may  be  their 
case  one  day,  if  they  follow 
their  evil  example,  that  their 
candlestick  may  be  removed 'too, 
except  they  repent  and  do  their 
first  works;  and  that  their  se- 
curity lies  not  so  much  in  the 
strength  of  their  frontiers,  and 
the  greatness  of  their  armies, 
for  neither  of  these  could  de- 
fend the  Eastern  Christians 
from  the  invasion  and  fury  of 
the  Saracens  and  Turks,  as  in 
their  mutual  agreements,  and 
in  the  virtues  of  a  Christian 
life."  At  present  this  place  is 
a  miserable  village,  the  houses 
are  of  mud  and  turf,  low  and 
mean.  The  Turks  here  are 
about  five  thousand,  who  have 
six  or  seven  mosques;  but  here 
still  are  no  Christians,  except- 
ing a  few  slaves,  and  inferior 
workmen,  employed  in  the  cot- 
ton factory,  which  furnishes  the 
principal  employment  of  the 
place.  It  stands  26  miles  N. 
ofSardis,  56  N.  E.  from  Smyr- 
na. Lat.  38,  48.  Long.  28,  6. 
Bycaut,  Spon,  %?c. 
TIBERIAS,  a  famous  city 
of  Galilee,  situated  at  the  south- 
ern extremity,  and  upon  the 
western  shore  of  the  lake  of  Ge- 
nesareth,  otherwise  called  the 


sea  of  Tiberias.  It  is  thought 
that  its  old  name  was  Cinne- 
refri,  or  Ha  math,  or  Emarh,  or 
Rakkath.oi  Reccath.  ButRelaud 
shows,  that  this  is  very  doubt- 
ful, and  is  only  founded  upon 
this,  that  the  sea  of  Cinnereth, 
was  afterwards  called  die  sea  of 
Tiberias;  which  by  no  means 
proves  that  Cinnereth  and  Ti- 
berias were  the  same.  Be- 
sides, he  observes,  that  the  por- 
tion of  Naphtali  did  not  begin 
towards  the  south,  but  a:  Ca- 
pernaum, which  is  more  to  the 
north  than  Tiberias,  and  yet 
Cinnereth,  Hamarh,  or  Rak- 
kath,  belong  to  the  portion  of 
Naphtali,  Joshua  xix,  35,  Ti- 
berias therefore,  could  not, 
since  it  is  known  that  it  was 
quite  to  the  south  of  the  lake 
of  Tiberias.  See  Cinnereth, 
Josephus  acquaints  us,  that 
this  city  was  built  by  Herod 
Agrippa,  in  honor  of  the  em- 
peror Tiberias.  Its  convenient 
situation  soon  rendered  it  a 
considerable  city,  so  that  in  a 
short  time  it  became  the  cap- 
ital of  all  Galilee.  In  the  time 
of  the  Jewish  wars,  Josephus 
took  possession  of  this  city, 
and  defended  it  bravely  for 
some  time:  but  being  taken 
by  Vespasian,  part  of  its  walls 
was  beat  down,  and  the  city 
otherwise  greatly  demolished. 
In  the  days  of  its  prosperity 
this    city    had   thirteen   syna- 


TIB 


TIB 


gogues,  and  an  academy;  here 
was  the  last  session  of  the  Jew- 
ish Sanhedrim;  here  the  Tal- 
mud, the  body  of  the  Jewish 
civil  and  canon  law,  was  col- 
lected. Epiphanius  observes, 
that  in  the  time  of  Constantine 
the  Great, the  Gospel  of  St.John, 
and  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles, 
translated  into  Hebrew,  were 
discovered  by  count  Joseph, 
in  the  archives  or  treasury  of 
Tiberias;  and  that  before  this 
time,  no  Christian  was  per- 
mitted to  dwell  at  Tiberias,  or 
at  Capernaum,  or  at  Nazareth, 
or  at  Diocassarea;  and  that 
count  Joseph  having  obtained 
leave  from  Constantine  to  build 
a  church  there,  in  honor  of  Je- 
sus Christ,  he  made  use  of  a 
great  temple,  called  Adrianeum, 
which  had  never  been  finished 
or  consecrated.  This  he  com- 
pleted, and  dedicated  it  to  the 
use  of  the  Christians.  Lam- 
prideus  de  Severo,  informs  us, 
that  the  emperors  Alexander, 
Severus,  and  Adrian,  had  in- 
tentions of  placing  Jesus  Christ 
among  the  gods,  and  to  con- 
secrate temples  to  him.  "From 
whence  it  proceeds,  that  at  this 
day,"  says  the  author,  "temples 
without  statues  were  seen  in 
every   city." 

Hasseiquist,  speaking  of  an 

Arabian  camp,  which  he  found 

not  far  from  Tiberias,  at   the 

foot  of  the   mountain,    where 

64 


Christ  preached  his  celebrated 
sermon,  says,  "They  made  but- 
ter in  a  leather  bag,  hung  on 
three  poles,  erected  lor  the  pur- 
pose in  the  form,  of  a  cone,  and 
swung  to  and  Jro>  by  two  wo- 
men." The  ancient  people  of 
Canaan,  probably,  adopted  the 
same  method  of  making  but- 
ter, which  is  now  practised  in 
Barbary,  and  by  the  Bedow  en 
Arabs.  Dr.  Shaw  says,  "their 
method  is  to  put  the  mUk  or 
cream  into  a  goat's  skin,  turn- 
ed inside  out,  which  they  sus- 
pend from  one  side  of  the  tent 
to  the  other,  and  then  pressing 
it  to  and  fro,  in  one  uniform, 
direction,  they  quickly  occa- 
sion the  separation  of  the  unc- 
tuous and  vvheyey  parts."  So 
Stewart,  in  his  travels  to  Me- 
guine,  says,  that  the  butter  of 
the  Moors,  in  the  empire  of 
Morocco,  is  made  from  all  the 
milk,  as  it  comes  from  the  cow, 
by  putting  it  into  a  skin,  and 
shaking  it,  till  the  butter  sepa- 
rates from  it.:?  See  Prov.  xxx. 
33.  This  may  show  why  but- 
ter-milk should  be  mentioned, 
as  a  dainty  in  scripture;  the 
modernMoors  are  now  so  fond  of 
butter- milk,  which  is  their  chief 
dessert,  that  when  they  would 
speak  of  the  extraordinary 
sweetness,  or  deliciousness,  of 
any  thing,  they  compare  it  to 
butter-milk.  Lat.  32,  35. 
TIbHATH,  a   city  of  Sy- 


TIG 


TIG 


ria,   taken    and    plundered   by- 
David;  it  was  also  called  Betah. 
TIGRIS,  though   this  river 
is  not  mentioned  by  this  name 
in  scripture,  it  ought  to  be  de- 
scribed in  this  work,  because 
reference  is  so  often  made  to  it. 
This  famous  river,  which  rises 
in  Armenia,  and  discharges  it- 
self into  the   Persian  gi:lf,  has 
been    supposed,    Moses    calls 
Hiddekel,  Gen.  ii,    14.     The 
ancients  called  it  Digilito,  and 
to  this  day  it  is  called  Degil,  or 
Tigil.     Josephus,  the  Chaldee 
pa«  aphrast,the  Arabian  and  Per- 
sian translators,  call  it  Digilat. 
Pliny  says,    that    its   fountain, 
and  so  far  as  it  runs  smoothly, 
is  called  Dighto;   but   when  it 
becomes  more  rapid,  it  is  callrd 
Tigris,  which  in   the  language 
of  the  Mtdes,  signifies  an  ar- 
row.    He  adds,  that  it  rises  in 
the  Greater    Armenia,  in    the 
midst   of   a    plain,  called  Eli- 
gosine.     It  enters  the  lake  Are- 
thusa,  and  crosses  it,  without 
mingling  with  its  waters:  after 
which    it    meets    with    mount 
Tarsus,  where,  plunging  into 
he  earth,  it  passes  under  the 
mountain,  and  rises  again  on 
h$  other  side.     The  cave   at 
vhich  it  enters,  is  called  Zora- 
:  nda:  and  in  proof,  that  it  is 
i  ,e  same  river,  it   reproduces 
.a  its  opening,    what  had  been 
eajst  into  it,  at  its  entrance  into 
the  cave:  thus  says  Pliny.  Pto- 


lemy also  places  the  spring  of 
Tigris  in  the  middle  of  Arme- 
nia. Lat.  39,30,  north.  Part  of 
the  same  stream  is  called  Hie, 
another  part  Digel,  these  uni- 
ted, probably  form  the  Hi-dekel 
of  Moses. 

Strabo  seems  to  have  taken 
for  the  fountains  of  the  Tigris, 
its  re-appearance  out  of  mount 
Taurus:  since  he  places  it  out 
of  Armenia,  and  says  it  rises 
south  of  mount  Niphates,which 
is  a  part  of  mount  Taurus. 
The  Tigris  east,  and  the  Eu- 
phrates west,  are  the  bounda- 
ries of  Mesopotamia,  which 
lies  between  these  rivers.  Af- 
ter having  passed  through  a 
large  tract  of  land,  from  north 
to  south,  these  two  famous  riv- 
ers discharge  themselves,  into 
the  Persian  gulf.  At  this  day 
they  unite  in  one  channel;  but 
formerly,  they  entered  it  sepa- 
rately, as  Pliny  observes;  and 
in  his  time  traces  of  the  ancient 
channels,  were  still  seen.  The 
Tigris  overflows  its  banks  in 
the  beginning  of  spring,  occa- 
sioned by  the  melting  of  the 
snows,  on  t«he  mountains  of 
Armenia.  The  Tigris  took  its 
rise  in  the  land  of  Eden,  and 
was  one  of  the  four  rivers,  that 
watered  the  earthly  Paradise, 
Gen.  ii,  14.  Thus  far  my  au- 
thor; and  here  I  repeat,  that 
commentators  and  geographers 
seem  to  mistake  the  words  of 


TIM 


TYR 


Moses.  They  perpetually  as- 
sert, that  "four  rivers  watered 
the  earthly  Paradise."  Does 
the  Bible  say  this?  Is  not  the 
contrary  asserted,  Gen.  ii,  10? 
"And  a  river."  i.  e.  one  river, 
"went  out  of  Eden  to  water  the 
garden,  and  from  thence,"  or 
after  it  had  left  the  garden,  "it 
was  parted  and  became  into 
four  heads ,"  or  by  four  months, 
emptied  its  waters  into  the  sea. 
Instead  of  hunting  the  world 
over,  to  find  four  rivers,  so 
contiguous,  as  to  water  the 
same  garden,  we  have  to  look 
for  a  river,  which,  as  it  ap- 
proaches its  outlet,  separates 
into  four  streams,  and  has  four 
mouths.  Our  maps,  but  how 
accurately  I  know  not,  have 
generally  drawn  the  Indus  in 
this  manner,  with  four  mouths. 

TIMNAH,  a' city  of  the 
tribe  of  Judah,  Josh,  xv,  10, 
57.  Judah,  went  to  the  4city 
of  Timnah;  when  he  met  with 
Tamar  and  committed  incest 
with  her,Gen.  xxxviii,12.  This 
was  also  the  name  of  a  city  of 
the  Philistines,  where  Sampson 
married  his  wife.  It  is  thought 
to  be  the  same  with  the  former, 
and  might  then  belong  to  the 
Philistines;  being  near  their 
country.  It  continued  in  ex- 
istence, and  was  a  village,  A. 
D.  400.     Lat.  31,  47. 

TIMN  ATH-SERAH,a  city 
of  Canaan  in  the  tribe  of  Eph- 


raim.  The  -place  was  in  mount 
Ephraim,  probably  fertile  and 
pleasant,  for  this  place  he  se- 
lected from  the  whole  country. 

Here  he  built  a  city,  or  per- 
haps vastly  improved  the  for- 
mer town  or  city,  for  it  is  said, 
they  gave  him  "the  ck\." 
Here  the  Jewish  commander 
was  buried.  Josh,  xix,  and 
xxiv.     Lat.  32,  2. 

TIPHSAH,  a  city  in  the  east 
part  of  Syria,  on  the  Euphrates, 
(>00  miles  north-west  from  Bab- 
ylon. Some  geographers  place 
it  on  the  east,  and  others  on  the 
west  side  of  the  river;  but  as 
there  was  a  famous  bridge 
here,  probably  the  city  might 
stand  on  each  bank.  This  was 
the  frontier  town  on  the  nor  h- 
east  part  of  Solomon's  exten- 
sive empire,  1  Kings  iv,  24. 

TIPHSAH,  acityofJudea, 
belonging  to  the  tribe  of  Ephra- 
im, and  six  miles  from  Sama- 
ria. Shallum,  son  of  Jabesh, 
having  put  to  death  Zechariah, 
king  of  Israel,  Menhanam,  gen- 
eral of  this  prince's  army,  pro- 
cured himself  to  be  acknowl- 
edged king;  2  Kings,  xv,  16, 
and  the  city  of  Tiphsah,  having 
shut  their  gates  against  him,  he 
took  it  by  force,  and  exercised 
the  utmost  cruelty  against  the 
inhabitants.  See  JostphusAntiq. 

TIRZAH,  a  delightful  city 
of  Ephraim,  the  royal  seat  of 
the  kings  of  Israel,  from  the 


TIS 


TOP 


time  of  Jeroboam,-  the  son  of 
Ntbaty  to  the  reign  of  Omriy 
who  built  the  city  of  Samaria, 
which  then  became  the  capital 
of  this  kingdom.  Joshua  kil- 
led the  king  of  Tiizah.  Josh, 
xii,  24,  Menahem,  the  son  of 
Gadi,  of  Tirsah,  slew  Shallum, 
the  usurper  of  the  kingdom  of 
Israel,  who  reigned  at  Samaria, 
and  assumed  the  government 
himself.  But  the  city  of  Tir- 
sah, shutting  its  gates  against 
him,  he  made  it  feel  the  most 
terrible  effects  of  his  indigna- 
tion. See  2  Kings  xv,  14,  16. 
To  mark  the  excellencies  of 
the  church,  she  is  said  to  be 
beautiful  as  Tirzah,  Song  vi, 
4,     Lar   32,  15. 

TlSHBITE,  a  city  in  the 
country  of  Gilead,  beyond  Jor- 
dan, being  the  country  of  the 
prophet  Elijah,  who  thence 
took  the  name  of  the  Tishbite, 
1  Kings,  xvii,  1,  Epiphanius 
says,  that  Thisbe  was  in  the 
country  of  the  Arabians,  be- 
cause in  his  time  the  whole  dis- 
trict beyond  Jordan  belonged 
to  the  Arabians;  this  place  is 
mentioned  as  late  as  A.  D.  400. 

TOB,  a  country  of  Palestine, 
lying  beyond  Jordan,  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  portion  of 
Manasseh.  Hither  it  was,  that 
Jepthah  retired,  when  he  was 
driven  away  by  his  brethren, 
Judges  xi,  3,  5.  This  country 
is  called  Tobie,  or  Tubin.     1 


Mace,  v,  13;  and  the  inhabi- 
tants of  this  canton  were  called 
Tubiens. 

TOCHEN,  a  city  of  Canaan, 
of  the  tribe  of  Simeon,  1  Chr. 
iv,  32 

TOL  AD,  a  city  of  the  tribe 
of  Simeon,  1  Chr.  iv,  29,  prob- 
ably the  same  asEltoiad,  Josh, 
xv,  30;  xix,  4.  It  was  yield- 
ed by  the  tribe  of  Judah  to  that 
of  Simeon. 

TOPHET.  It  is  thought, 
that  Tophet  was  the  butchery, 
or  place  of  slaughter  at  Jerusa- 
lem, lying  to  the  south  of  the 
city,  in  the  valley  of  the  chil- 
dren of  Hinnom.  It  is  also  said, 
that  a  constant  fire  was  kept 
there,  for  burning  the  carcasses, 
and  other  fikhiness,  that  was 
brought  thither  from  the  city. 
It  was  in  the  same  place,  that 
they  cast  away  the  ashes,  and 
r  mains  of  the  images  of  false 
gods,  when  they  demolished 
their  altars,  and  broke  down 
their  statues.  Isaiah  xxx,  33y 
seems  to  allude  to  this  custom 
of  burning  dead  carcasses  in 
Tophet,  when  speaking  of  the 
defeat  of  Sennacheitb. 

Others  think  the  name  of 
Tophet  is  given  to  the  valley 
of  Hinnom,  because  of  the  sac- 
rifices, that  were  offered  there 
to  Moloch,  by  beat  of  drum, 
which  in  Hebrew  is  called 
Toph. 

Jeremiah   vii,   31,  upbraids 


TRA 


Tlil 


the  Israelites,  with  having  built 
temples  to  Moloch,  in  the  val- 
ley of  Hinnom,  in  Tophct,  to 
burn  their  children  there  in  the 
fire:  "And  they  have  built  the 
high  places  of  Tophet,  which  is 
in  the  valley  of  the  son  of  Hin- 
nom, to  burn  their  sons  and 
their  daughters  in  the  fire." 
We  may  see  by  the  same 
prophet,  that  Tophet  was  also 
a  polluted  and  unclean  place, 
where  they  used  to  throw  the 
carcasses  to  which  they  refused 
burial.  King  Josiah  defiled 
the  place  of  Tophet,  where  the 
temple  of  Moloch  stood,  that 
nobody  might  go  thither  any 
more,  to  sacrifice  their  children 
to  that  cruel  deity,  2  Kings 
xxiii,  10,  11.  The  cruelty  of 
the  heathen  in  sacrificing  their 
children,  to  appease  the  ven- 
geance of  their  wicked  gods, 
seems  to  be  surpassed  in  sacri- 
ficing them,  and  even  their  own 
lives,  to  provoke  the  indigna- 
tion of  men  against  their  ene- 
mies.    See  2  Kings  iii,  27. 

TRACHONITIS.  St. 
Luke  iii,  1,  speaks  of  tbeTra- 
chonitis,  saying,  that  in  the 
fifteenth  year  of  Tiberias,  Phil- 
ip, son  of  Herod  the  Great,  was 
tctraich  of  Iturea,  and  of  Tra- 
chonitis.  This  province  had 
Arabia  Deserta  to  the  east,  Ba- 
tanea  to  the  west,  Iturea  to  the 
south,  and  the  country  of  Da- 
mascus to  the  north.  Trachon- 


itis  is  often  ascribed  to  Arabia, 
and  rather  belongs  to  it  than  to 
Palestine.  Josephus  says,  it 
is  situate  between  Palestine  and 
Coelo  Syria,  and  that  it  was 
peopled  by  Hush,  or  Chush, 
the  son  of  Aram.  The  road  to 
Trachonitis  lay  towards  the 
lake  Phiala,  where  were  the 
sources  of  the  Jordan.  This 
province  was  full  of  rocks, 
which  served  as  a  harbor  for  a 
great  number  of  thieves  and 
robbers,  who  often  found  em- 
ployment for  Herod  the  Great, 
as  may  be  seen  in  Josephus. 
Eusebiussays,  that  the  tribe  of 
Manasseh,  extended  itself  into 
Trachonitis,  towards  Boatra. 
Lastly,  St.  Jerome  says  it  is  be- 
yond Bostra,  inclining  towards 
Damascus.  This  country  is 
called  Argob;  it  was  a  craggy, 
mountainous  region.  Lat.  33. 
TRIPOLIS,  a  city  of  Phoe- 
nicia, lying  upon  the  Mediter- 
ranean sea,  between  Botris  to 
the  south,  and  Area  to  the 
north.  It  is  watered  by  a  river 
that  runs  from  Libanus,  and  is 
mentioned  in  the  second  book 
of  Maccabees,  Mace,  xiv,  1, 
where  it  is  said,  that  three  years 
after  the  death  of  Antiochus 
Epiphanes,  Demetrius,  the  son 
of  Seleucus,  after  having  made 
his  escape  from  Rome,  landed 
at  Tripolis.  Tins  town  lies  on 
the  same  coast  with  Jamnio, 
and   Joppa,  but  much   higher 


TRI 


TRI 


north,  beyond  the  limits  of  the 
Holy  Land,  in  Phoenicia.     A 
late  traveller  informs  us,  that 
the  present  town  stands  on  the 
river  Kadisha,  a  quarter  of  a 
league  from  its  mouth,  precise- 
ly at  the  foot  of  mount  Liba- 
nus,  which  runs  over  it  to  the 
south,  east,  and  north.     It  has 
no  proper  harbor,  but  a  road. 
The  environs  of  the  town  are 
laid  out  in  orchards  of  pome- 
granate,   orange,    lemon,   and 
mulberry   trees.      The    com- 
merce consists  wholly  of  coarse 
silk,  which  is  constantly  grow- 
ing  worse,  from  the  decay  of 
the  old  mulberry  trees.      An 
American  would  naturally  in- 
quire, why  they  do  not  plant 
others.     But  were  the  people 
to  raise  young  trees,  the  officer 
of  government  would  say,  this 
man    has  money.     He   would 
send  for  him,  and  demand  it  of 
him.     Should  he  deny  that  he 
had  any,  he  would  be  bastina- 
doed.     Should  he,  to  escape 
death,  confess,  still  the  bastin- 
ado would    be  repeated,    that 
more  might  be  extorted.    This 
solitary  fact  is  a  fair  specimen 
of  the    miseries,   endured    by 
more  than  twenty-four  million 
of  people,  crushed  under   the 
despotism  of  the  Turkish  gov- 
ernment.      Not   many    years 
since,  eight  hundred  citizens 
of  this  place  were  put  to  death 
in  one  day  by  the  government. 


The  town,  though  pleasantly  sit- 
uated, is  exceedingly  unhealthy, 
epidemic  fevers  rage  here  every 
year.  The  population  is  reck- 
oned at  sixty  thousand,  chiefly 
Turks,  Christians,  and  Jews. 
The  name  denotes  three  cities, 
and  it  is  said  to  be  so  called, 
because  built  by  the  joint  ex- 
pense of  the  three  cities,  Tyre, 
Sidon,and  Aradus.  It  seems 
to  have  been  of  no  great  note 
under  the  Romans,  till  made 
an  episcopal  see,  under  the  arch- 
bishop of  Tyre,  in  primitive 
times.  But  thriving  by  degrees, 
it  was  of  principal  account,  by 
the  time,  the  western  Christians 
warred  in  the  Holy  Land;  for 
when  conquered  by  them,  it 
was  made  one  of  the  tetrarch- 
ies,  or  capital  cities  for  the  four 
quarters  of  their  dominions; 
which  were  Jerusalem,  for  Pa- 
lestine; Edessa,  for  Comagena, 
or  Mesopotamia;  Antioch,  for 
Assyria;  and  Tripolis,  for 
Phoenicia.  A  city  which  I 
know  not  (says  my  author)  by 
what  good  hap,  has  fared  bet- 
ter than  any  of  those  parts,  re- 
taining as  much  strength  and 
beauty,  as  ever  it  had,  if  not 
augmented  by  the  ruin  of  the 
rest.  Mr.  Maundrel  gives  us 
this  account  of  it.  "Tripoli 
is  seated  about  half  a  mile  from 
the  sea.  The  greater  part  of 
the  city  lies  between  two  hills; 
one  on  the  east,  on  which  is  a 


TRI 


TUIr 


castle  commanding  the  place; 
another  on  the  west,  between 
the  city  and  the  sea.     This  lat- 
ter is  said  to  have  been  at  first 
raised,  and  to  be  still  increased, 
by  the  daily  accession  of  sand, 
blown  to  it  from  the  shore.   On 
which  occasion   there  goes   a 
prophecy,  that  the  whole  city 
shall  in  time  be   buried   with 
this  sandy  hill.     But  the  Turks 
seem  not  very  apprehensive  of 
this  prediction.     For  instead  of 
preventing  the  growth  of  this 
hill,  they  suffer  it  to  take  its 
course,  and  make  it  a  place  of 
pleasure;     which    they    would 
have  little  inclination  to  do,  did 
they    apprehend  it  was  to  be 
their  graves.      The  marine  is 
about  half  an  hour  distant  from 
the  city.     The  port  is  an  open 
sea,  rather  than  an  inclosed  har- 
bor;   however  it  is  partly  de- 
fended from   the   force  of  the 
waves  by    two   small   islands, 
about  two   leagues   from    the 
shore,  one  of  which  is  called 
the  Bird,  and  the  other  the  Co- 
ney-island,   being    so    named 
from  the  creatures   they    pro- 
duce.    For    its  security  from 
pirates,  it  has  several  castles,  or 
rather  square  towers,  built  all 
along  the  shore,  at  convenient 
distances.     They  are,  says  my 
author,   six  in  number,  but  at 
present  void  of  all  manner  of 
force,  both  of  men,  and  ammu- 
nition.    In  the  fields  near  the 
shore,  appeared  many  heaps  of 


ruins,  and  pillars  of  granite, 
and  several  other  indications, 
that  here  must  have  been  an- 
ciently some  considerable  build- 
ings. This  agrees  with  what 
Casaubon,  in  his  notes  on  Stra- 
bo,  quotes  out  of  Diodorus, 
viz.  that  Tripolis  was  anciently 
a  cluster  of  three  cities,  stand- 
ing at  a  furlong's  distance  from 
each  other;  the  first  was  a  seat 
of  the  Aradians,  the  second  of 
the  Zidonians,  and  the  third  of 
the  Tyrians.  From  hence  it  k 
probable,  that  Tripolis  was  a 
name  given  at  first  to  three  dis- 
tinct, but  adjacent  places,  and 
not  to  one  city.  Thevenot 
says,  Tripoli  is  a  very  pretty 
town,  with  a  neat  castle,  at  the 
foot  of  which  runs  a  little  river. 
Several  gardens  full  of  orange 
trees,  and  white  mulberries,  en- 
compass the  town,  which  \s  a 
mile  from  the  sea.  There  are 
several  towers  to  defend  the 
coast.  Le  Bruyn  observes: 
the  city  in  itself  is  not  very 
considerable,  though  the  houses 
are  built  with  free  stone,  and 
most  of  them  pretty  large  and 
stately.  The  principal  quar- 
ters of  the  city  are  very  popu- 
lous The  Bazar,  or  street  of 
merchants,  is  in  pretty  good 
plight.  The  French  and  Italians 
have  generally  a  Vice-consul 
residing  there.  The  Arabians 
bring  hither  a  great  deal  of 
ashes,  of  which  they  make 
soap  and  glass." 


TRO 


TRO 


TRO  AS,  a  province  of  Na- 
tolia,  bounded  north  by  the 
Propontis,  north-west  by  the 
Dardanelles,  and  south-west  by 
the^Egean  sea,  and  easterly  by 
the  province  of  Mysia.  This 
province  was  blest  with  the 
visits  and  preaching  of  St. 
Paul,  the  gospel  having  been 
early  planted. 

In  this  province  stood  the 
famous  city  Troy,  or  IlUum, 
on  the  river  Scamandcr  or 
Xanthus,  a  few  miles  from  the 
coast  of  the  ./Egean  sea,  or  Ar- 
chipelago, formerly  having  a 
commodious  harbor,  formed  by 
the  island  Tenedos,  which  lies 
along  the  coast,  three  leagues 
distant.  This  haven  is  now 
choked  up  with  sand.  Whether 
the  fallen  walls,  and  other  ruins 
to  be  seen  in  this  vicinity , are  the 
remains  of  the  ancient  Troy, 
so  famed  by  the  poets  for  its 
ten  years  seige,  or  those  of 
the  new  Troy,  begun  by  Al- 
exander, and  finished  by  Lysi- 
machus,  is  much  disputed  a- 
mong  the  learned.  From  the 
marble  tombs,  broken  col- 
umns,sub terraneous  arches, spa- 
cious canals,  theatres,  palaces, 
and  temples,  it  is  evident,  that 
once  here  rose  an  opulent  city. 
A  plan  and  description  of  an- 
cient Troy  has  been  lately 
published  in  the  transactions 
of  the  Ro}al  Society  of  Edin- 
burgh.    According  to  the  au- 


thor, the  city  cf  Troy  stood 
on  the  present  scite  of  the 
modern  village  of  Baunarba- 
chi,  four  leagues  from  the  sea, 
and  the  residence  of  a  Turkish 
Aga.  Near  the  village  is  a 
marsh  of  tall  reeds;  the  situa- 
tion is  impregnable  on  all  sides, 
except  at  Erin,  "the  hill  of 
wild  fig-trees,"  mentioned  by 
Homer,  which  extended  from 
the  Soaean  gate  to  the  sources 
of  the  Scamander.  A  very  in- 
teresting part  of  this  work  is 
the  account  of  conical  mounds 
or  barrows,  several  of  them  a 
hundred  feet  in  diameter  at  the 
base;  these  the  author  main- 
tains are  the  identical  tombs, 
raised  over  the  ashes  of  the 
heroes,  slain  in  the  Trojan  war; 
some  of  them  he  supposes 
more  ancient.  He  indulges 
himself  in  a  particular  descrip- 
tion of  the  tombs  raised  in 
honor  of  Esyetes,  IIus,  Ajax, 
Hector,  Achilles,  Patrocius, 
and  Antilochus.  Mr.  Mariti 
a  few  years  since  visited  this 
celebrated  spot.  He  mentions 
the  tu mili  or  barrows,  which 
tradition  appropriates  to  Achil- 
les, and  Patrorlus,  and  Ajax. 
The  plain  of  Troy,  saith  he, 
over  which  we  rode,  is  uf  very 
considerable  extent,  being 
twelve  miles  in  length,  and  five 
or  six  bnx.d.  It  is  fertile,  and 
in  a  good  state  of  cultivation. 
A  great  part  of  the  land  is  laid 


TYR 


TYR 


»ut  in  pasturage,  in  which  nu- 
merous herds  of  cattle  browse. 
The  rivers  Scamander  and  Sim- 
ois  run  meandering  through  the 
plain,  and  near  their  confluence, 
where  is  now  a  village,  was  the 
scite,  as  is  supposed,  of  the 
ancient  Ilium.  The  Scaman- 
der has  now  little  water;  part 
of  its  ancient  channel  is  cover- 
ed with  grass. 

St.  Paul  repeatedly  preached 
the  gospel  here,  and  here  he 
left  his  cloak,  his  books,  and 
his  parchments.  Here  it  was, 
on  one  occasion,  that  he  con- 
tinued a  farewell  sermon  till 
midnight.  Here  it  was  that  he 
had  a  vision  in  the  night,  the 
form  of  a  man  appeared  unto 
him,  and  invited  him  to  pass 
over  into  Europe,  to  Macedo- 
nia, to  promote  the  work  of 
God  there. 

TROGYLLIUM,  a  pro- 
montory  of  Mycale,  near  to 
Samos.  Here  is  a  town  where 
St.  P.ml  tarried  a  whole  day. 

TYRE.  The  ancient  Tyre 
was  upon  the  continent;  Nebu- 
chadnezzar destroyed  the  city, 
and  another  was  buili  on  an 
island,  about  half  a  mile  from 
the  main  land.  Alexander, 
>vhen  he  took  the  city,  filled 
up  the  channel  and  joined  the 
city  to  the  continent,  since 
which  it  has  been  a  peninsula. 
Tyre  was  a  famous  city  of 
Phoenicia  allotted  to  the  tribe 
65     * 


of  Asher,  Josh,  xix,  29,  though 
it  does  not  appear,  that  the 
Asherites  ever  drove  out  the 
Canaanites,  who  possessed  the 
maritime  cities  of  this  canton. 
The  city  of  Tyre  is  supposed 
to  have  been  first  built  by  a 
colony  of  Zidonians;  the  proph- 
et Isaiah,  xxiii,  12,  calls  it, 
"The  daughter  of  Zidon."  It 
was  at  first,  situated  upon  a 
high  hill,  on  the  continent, 
whose  ruins  are  still  remaining, 
under  the  name  of  Palsetyrus, 
or  old  Tyre.  The  place  had 
so  great  a  trade  and  wealth, 
that  "Her  merchants  were 
princes,  and  her  trafficers  the 
honorable  of  the  earth,"  ibid 
18.  Their  riches  and  splendor 
were  such  as  might  be  expect- 
ed from  their  immense  traffic. 
The  robes  of  the  king  were 
hung  thick  with  emeralds. 
Though  it  had  once  been  tak- 
en and  destroyed  by  Nebu- 
chadnezzar, yet  when  Alexan- 
der the  Great  came  before  it, 
the  city  had  qui  e  recovered 
itsdf,  and  was  fortified  with  a 
strong  wall  round  it  on  the 
brink  of  the  sea,  of  an  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  in  height,  so  that 
he  had  no  way  of  approaching 
it,  in  order  to  make  an  assault, 
but  by  carrying  a  bank  from 
the  continent  through  the  sea 
to  the  island,  on  which  the 
city  stood,  which,  in  seven 
months  time  he  accomplished, 


TYR 


TYR 


and    at    last  took   the   place. 
Prideaux  Connect. 

The  name  of  Tyre  recalls 
to  the  mind  of  the  reflecting 
reader  many  events  recorded 
in  history,  interesting  to  his 
heart,  and  deserving  the  atten- 
tion of  legislators  and  Chris- 
tians. It  would,  therefore,  be. 
unpardonable  not  to  be  some- 
what particular  in  our  account 
of  this  celebrated  city.  It  is 
now  called  Sour,  and  is  situat- 
ed on  a  peninsula,  which  pro- 
jects into  the  Mediterranean  in 
an  oval  form.  It  is  a  solid 
rock,  covered  with  brown  earth; 
it  is  eight  hundred  paces  long, 
and  four  hundred  broad.  The 
isthmus  is  of  sea  sand;  this 
circumstance  renders  the  an- 
cient  insular  state  of  the  place 
very  evident,  before  Alexander 
joined  it  to  the  main  land  by  a 
mole.  The  sea  has  lodged  its 
sands  on  this  mole,  and  formed 
the  present  isthmus.  The  place 
is  now  a  miserable  village,  con- 
sisting of  forty  or  fifty  -poor 
families,  who  live  obscurely  on 
the  produce  of  their  few  rods 
of  land,  and  a  trifling  fishery. 
Their  houses  are  no  longer 
opulent  dwellings,  several  sto- 
ries high,  but  wretched  huts, 
ready  to  crumble  to  pieces. 
The  most  remarkable  building 
is  the  ruins  of  an  ancient  Chris- 
tian church,  near  to  which, 
amid  piles  of  stones,   lie  two 


beautiful  columns,  with  shafts 
of  red  granite,  which  would 
ere  this  have  been  carried  off 
by  the  Turks,  but  their  archi- 
tects have  not  skill  enough  to 
move  them.  Nebuchadnezzar 
had  conquered  Jerusalem,  and 
marched  against  Tyre,  the  only 
city  which  braved  the  power 
of  his  victorious  sword,  the 
Tyrians  resisted  him  for  thir- 
teen years;  but  wearied  with 
the  miseries  of  the  obstinate 
siege  they  retreated  to  the  isl- 
and, a  quarter  of  a  league  dis- 
tant. Afterward,  when  Alex- 
ander must  conquer  the  world 
to  gratify  his  savage  pride, 
Tyre  must  be  a  bleeding  vic- 
tim of  his  ferocity.  Tyre  was 
destroyed,  but  soon,  after  re- 
built. Adrian  repaired  the 
place,  and  it  bocarne  the  capi- 
tal of  the  province.  After- 
wards it  fell  into  the  hands  of 
the  Arabs.  It  was  taken  again 
by  Baldwin  II,  king  of  Jeru- 
salem. In  1289  it  was  finally 
destroyed  by  the  Sultan  of  E- 
gvpt;  it  was  abandoned,  and 
will  never  rise  again.  This 
history  of  Tyre  exhibits  the 
remarkable  fulfilment  of  proph- 
ecy. While  she  yet  rose  in 
lull  splendor;  while  her  com- 
merce extended  "beyond  Eng- 
land to  the  north,  and  the  Ca- 
naries to  the  south,"  while  the 
shores  of  Arabia,  the  Red  Sea, 
and  Indian  ocean  witnessed  the 


tyr 


TYR 


enterprize  of  her  merchants 
and  mariners;  while  she  was, 
in  the  view  «f  the  nations,  what 
the  city  of  London  now  is,  the 
commercial  metropolis  of  the 
Tvorld,  her  merchants  princes, 
and  her  traders  the  nobles  of 
the  land,  the  prophets  foretold 
her  fatal  doom.  Isaiah  says, 
"The  burden  of  Tyre,  howl, 
yc  ships  of  Tarshish;  for  it  is 
laid  waste,  so  that  there  is  no 
house.  As  at  the  report  con- 
cerning Egypt,  so  shall  they 
be  sorely  pained  at  the  report 
of  Tyre.  Is  this  your  joyous 
city,  whose  antiquity  is  of  an- 
cient days?"  "This  ruin  was 
foretold  one  hundred  and  twen- 
ty five  years  before  its  accom- 
plishment, and  at  a  time  when 
ihe  Babylonians,  who  were  to 
be  the  authors  of  this  destruc- 
tion, were  themselves  the  sub- 
jects and  slaves  of  the  Tynans, 
or  of  the  Assyrian  empire  to 
which  they  belonged;and  when, 
therefore,  such  an  event  ac- 
cording to  human  calculations 
was  exceedingly  improbable." 
(Lowth.J  The  prophet  Eze- 
kiel  adopted  the  same  style, 
"The  suburbs  shall  shake  at 
the  sound  of  the  cry  of  thy  pi- 
lots. And  all  that  handle  the 
oar,  the  mariners,  and  all  the 
pilots  of  the  sea,  shall  come 
do?/n  from  their  ships,  they 
shall  stand  upon  the  land;  and 
shall   cause    their   voice   to  be 


heard  against  thee,  and  shall 
cry  bitterly,  and  shall  cast  up 
dust  upon  their  heads,  they 
shall  wallow  themselves  in  the 
ashes:  And  they  shall  make 
themselves  utterly  bald  for  thee, 
and  gird  them  with  sackcloth, 
and  they  shall  weep  bitterly 
for  thee  with  bitterness  of 
heart,  and  bitter  wailing.  And 
in  their  wailing  they  shall  take 
up  a  bitter  .lamentation  for 
thee,  and  lament  over  thee, 
saying,  What  city  is  like 
Tyrus,  like  the  destroyed  in 
the  midst  of  the  sen?  When 
thy  wares  went  forth  out  of 
the  seas,  thcu  filledst  many 
people;  thou  didst  enrich  the 
kings  of  the  earth,  with  the 
multitude  of  thy  riches  and  of 
thy  merchandize.  In  the  mean 
time  when  thou  shall  be  broken 
by  the  seas  in  the  depths  of 
the  waters,  thv  merchandize 
and  all  thy  company  in  the 
midst  of  thee  shall  fall.  All 
the  inhabitants  of  the  isles  shall 
be  astonished  at  thee,  and  their 
kings  shall  be  sore  afraid',  they 
shall  be  troubled  in  their  coun- 
tenance. The  merchants  a- 
mong  the  people,  shall  hiss  at 
thee;  thou  shalt  be  a  terror, 
and  never  shall  be  any  more. 
They  shall  destroy  the  walls 
of  Tyrus,  and  break  down  her 
towers,  I  will  also  scrape  her 
dust  from  her,  and  make  her 
like  the  top  of  a  rock;,  it  shall 


¥YR 


UK 


be  the  place  for  the  spreading 
of  nets  in  the  midst  of  the  sea." 
Passing  by  Tyre,  from  curi- 
osity only,  says  Mr.  Bruce,   I 
came  to  be  a  mournful  witness 
of  the  truth  of  that  prophecy, 
that  Tyre,  the  queen  of  nations, 
should  be  a  rock  for  fishers  to 
dry  their  nets  on,  Ezek.  xxvi, 
"5.     Two  wretched  fishermen, 
with  miserable  nets  having  just 
given     o\tr    their  occupation 
with  very  little  success,  I  en- 
gaged them  at  the  expense  of 
their   nets,    to   drag   in   those 
places,   where  thev   said   shell 
fish  might  be  caught,  in  hopes 
to  have  brought  out  one  of  the 
famous  purple  fish.     Mr.  Vol 
ney,  with  all   his  hostility  to 
revelation,  has  repeatedly  yield- 
ed his  testimony  to  support  the 
cause  of  truth,  though  proba- 
bly, "it  was  not  in  his  heart, 
neither  did  he  think  so,"  after 
viewing  the  ruins  of  Tyre,  and 
quoting     the     twenty  seventh 
chapter  of  Ezekiel,  says,  "The 
vicissitudes  of  time,  or  rather 
the  barbarism  of  the  Greeks 
of  the  Lower  Empire,  and  the 
Mahometans,  have  accomplish- 
ed this  prediction.     Instead  of 
that  ancient  commerce,  so  ac- 
tive and   so  extensive,    Sour, 
(Tyre)  reduced  to  a  miserable 
village,  has  no  Other  trade,  than 
the  exportation  of  a  few  sacks 
of  corn,  and  raw  cotton,  nor 
any    merchant,    but    a   single 
Greek  factor  in  the  service  of 


the  French  at  Saide  (Sid on) 
who  scarcely  makes  sufficient 
profit  to  maintain  his  family. 
Lat.  33,17. 

ULAI,  a  river  that  runs  by 
the  city  Shushan  in  Persia, 
near  the  banks  of  which  Dan- 
iel had  a  famous  vision,  Dan. 
viii,  2,  16.  It  is  said  to  be 
the  greatest  river  of  the  prov- 
ince, and  that  the  Persian  kings 
used  no  other  water. 

UMMAH,  a  city  of  Canaan, 
of  the  tribe  of  Asher,  Josh.xix, 
30.  It  was  situate  between 
Aezib  and  Aphec.  Lat.  32, 
58. 

UPHAZ,  a  place  where  fine 
gold  was  obtained,  whether  it 
was  Ophir,  or  some  other  place 
called  Paz  or  Topaz,  is  uncer- 
tain. Calmut  thinks  it  was  the 
river  Phasis,  on  the  east  of  the 
Black  or  Euxine  Sea,  Jer.  x, 
9;  Daw.  x,  5, 

UR,  a  city  of  Chaldea,  and 
the  city  of  TV  ah,  and  of  Abra- 
ham.. Gen.  xi,  28.  God  order- 
ed Abraham  to  leave  the  city 
of  Ur,  that  he  might  bring 
him  into  the  land  of.  Canaan, 
which  he  intended  to  give  him 
and  his  posterity  for  an  inher- 
itance. The  situation  of  Ur 
is  not  known.  Some  think  it 
was  in  Babylonia.  Others  con- 
found it  with  Orcha,  or  Or- 
cho,  in  Chaldea,  according  to 
Ptolemy  and  Strabo.  Others 
take  it  to  be  Ura,  or  Sura,  in 
Syria,    upon    the   Euphrates, 


uz 


WOR 


Bochart  and  Grotius  maintain, 
that  it  is  Ura  in  Mesopotamia, 
two  days  journey  fromNisibe. 
It  is  observed,  that  Chaldea  and 
Mesopotamia  are  often  con- 
founded together;  and  that  it 
is  said  indifferently  that  this  city 
is  in  one  or  the  other  of  these 
two  provinces.  The  word  Ur, 
in*  Hebrew  signifies  jire;  and 
some  authors  have  pretended, 
that  when  Moses  says,  God 
brought  Abraham  out  of  Ur 
of  the  Chaldces,  he  only  intends 
to  say,  that  God  delivered  him 
out  of  the  fire,  into  which  the 
Chaldees  had  cast  him,  for  his 
contempt  of  their  idols.  Abra- 
ham came  from  the  East. 

UZ,  the  name  of  a  country; 
but  where  it  was  situated  is 
uncertain.  Some  believe  it  was 
the  region  near  the  head  of  the 
Tigris,  where  Pliny  and  Strabo 
place  the  Uxii,  and  here  pro- 
babiy  Uz,  the  son  of  Aram  did 
reside.  The  Hebrews  call  the 
country  round  Damascus,  the 
land  of  Uz,  and  the  Arabs 
call  it  Gaut  or  Gauta,  which 
has  the  same  import.  It  is 
also  said  that  Uz,  the  son  of 
Aram,  built  Damascus.  Bo- 
chart, and  the  authors  of  the 
Universal  History,  and  some 
others,  place  the  land  of  Uz 
far  south  from  Damascus,  and 
almost  directly  east  from  the 
tribe  of  Reuben,  and  west  from 
Chaidea   in    Arabia    Deserta. 


They  think,  that  this  country 
received  its  name  from  Huz, 
the  son  of  Nahor,  the  broth.r 
of  Abraham;  in  the  same 
gion  Ptolemy  places  the  A 
tae,  or  Ausitae.  Spanheim  and 
others  reckon  this  to  have  been 
the  country  of  Job,  as  it  was 
near  the  Chaldeans,  who  plun- 
dered him  of  his  cattle  and  slew 
his  servants.  His  friends,  ex- 
cepting one,  were  Arabians. 
Some  suppose  there  was  anoth- 
er Uz  in  the  land  of  Edom, 
which  had  its  name  from  Uz, 
the  Horite.  The  Arabian  wri- 
ters say  that  the  Adites,  who 
descended  from  Uz,  the  son  of 
Aram,  resided  here  for  some 
time,  before  they  removed  into 
Arabia  Felix,  Lamentations  iv, 
21.  From  the  connexion  in 
Jer.  xxv,  20,  it  might  seem  to 
be  in  Idumea,  between  Egypt 
and  the  Philistines;  yet  it  does 
not  appear  natural  to  find  a  ter- 
ritory here  containing  a  num- 
ber of  kings.  Bochart  has 
learnedly  shewn,  in  the  first  part 
of  his  Sacred  Geography,  that 
there  were  two  countries  of  this 
name. 

UZZEN-SHERAH,  a  city 
of  the  tribe  of  Ephraim,  built 
by  Sherah,  the  daughter  of 
Beriah,  and  grand-daughter  of 
Ephraim,  1  Chr.  vii,  22 — 24. 
This  place  was  near  to  Bcth- 
horon. 

WORLD,    in    scripture   is 


WOE 


WOR 


taken  for  the  whole  univer  se 
comprehending  the  heavens, 
earth,  sea,  the  elements,  the 
angels,  men,  animals;  in  a  word, 
all  created  beings.  2.  It  is 
taken  only  for  the  globe  of  the 
earth,  the  waters,  and  all  things 
they  contained.  3.  For  the  race 
of  mankind.  Thus  Jesus  Christ 
say  s  to  his  apostles,  John  viii,  12, 
"I  am  the  light  of  the  world.1' 
A-.  d  elsewhere,  xvii,  25,  "0 
righteous  Father,  the  world 
hath  not  known  thee;"  and  xv, 
18  "If  the  world  hate  you, 
ye  know  that  it  hated  me  be- 
fore it  hated  you."  4.  The 
world  is  also  put  for  the  lovers 
of  the  world,  ib.  xv,  19,  "If 
ye  were  of  the  world,  the  world 
would  love  his  own:  but  be- 
cause ye  are  not  of  the  world, 
bi'i  I  have  chosen  you  out  of 
the  world,  the- el  ore  the  world 
hateth  you."  And  St.  Paul 
says,  Gal.  vi,  14,  "The  world 
is  crucified  unto  me,  and  I  unto 
the  world."  And  St.  John  says, 
1  Eph.  ii,  15,  "Love  not  the 
world,  or  rhe  things  that  are  in 
the  world:  If  any  man  love  the 
world,  the  love  of  the  Father 
is  not  in  him."  How  far  the 
writers  of  the  Holy  Scriptures 
were  acquainted  with  the  world 
is  not  a  little  uncertain.  And 
though  it  is  of  some  conse- 
quence, we  must  speak  of  the 
probable  extent  of  scripture 
geography,     with   some   cau- 


tion. If  a  prophecy  relate  to 
Italy  or  Britain,  we  can  by  no 
means  apply  the  prophecy,  un- 
less, we  have  reason  to  be- 
lieve, that  those  countries  were 
known.  The  great  progenitor 
of  the  Jews,  probably  came 
from  beyond  the  Gihoon,  east- 
ward. To  the  east  of  this 
country  are  the  borders  of  Hin- 
dostan.  To  the  west  is  the 
land  of  Ghaznain,  and  the  bor- 
ders of  Touran,  and  Markand, 
and  Samarchand,  and  Bakkara. 
To  the  north  are  the  borders 
of  Turkestan.  This  original 
country  of  Abraham  is  one  of 
the  most  flourishing  and  pro- 
ductive, under. the  government 
of  the  Koran.  It  abounds  with 
everykind  of  fruit. and  provision. 
Their  herds  and  flocks  are  ex- 
cellent, and  their  hills  are  stored 
with  rich  minerals.  Abraham 
did  not  fly  from  indigence,  but 
idolatry;  he  did  not  seek  riches, 
but  a  pure  worship.  The  tenth 
chapter  of  Genesis  has  been 
thought  to  be  a  fragment  of  a 
larger  work;  for  though  doubt- 
less the  writer  was  acquainted 
with  the  colonies  east  of  the 
Caucassus,  he  mentions  only 
the  emigrations  tc  the  west. 
Joshua  reminds  the  Israelites 
of  the  counti  y  inhabited  by 
their  fathers,  "beyond  the 
flood,"  or  the  Gihoon.  India 
is,  undoubtedly,  mentioned, 
Fsther  i,    1,  and   the  voyages 


Z.AB 


ZAR 


t^f  Solomon's  fleets  to  that 
country,  would  have  been  less 
difficult,  than  to  some  other 
regions,  which  have  been  de- 
signated as  th-ir  places  of  traf- 
fic. Nor  is  evidence  wanting 
that  the  prophets  sometimes 
had  reference  to  China  in  their 
addresses.  See  Sinim.  The 
Jews  in  their  captivity  having 
resided  in  the  northern  part  of 
the  Assyrian  empire,  it  would 
be  strange  if  their  prophets  had 
not  acquired  some  knowledge 
of  what  has  been  since  called 
Poland,  or  the  southern  part  of 
Russia,  perhaps  as  far  as  their 
ancient  capital,  which  has  been 
lately  destroyed.  To  the  west, 
"the  islands  afar  off  have  not 
heard  my  fame,  nor  seen  my 
glory."  These  might  include 
not  only  the  islet,  of  the  Medi- 
terranean, but  Spain,  and  per- 
haps Great  Britain.  The  Bible 
has  the  pre-eminence  over  every 
otner  book  of  equal  antiquity, 
over  every  ancient  book,  most 
celebrated  in  the  science  of 
geography,  Geographical  Ex- 
cursions. 

ZAANANNIM,  a  city  of 
Palestine,  of  the  tribe  of  Naph- 
tali,   A'licah  i,  11. 

ZABADEANS,  Arabians, 
who  dwelt  to  the  east  of  the 
mountains  uf  Gilead.  Jonathan 
the  Maccabee,  overcame  them. 
See  1  Mace,  xii,  31.  But  it 
is  very  probable,  that  instead 
of  Zabadeans,  which  is  a  name 


entirely  unknown,  it  ought  to 
be  read  Nabatheans,  as  Jose- 
ph us  has  done.  The  Nabathe- 
ans are  well  known. 

Z  A I R,  the  same  as  Seir, 
which  see. 

ZALMON,  a  mountain  of 
Palestine  near  Shechem,  Psal. 
lxiii.     Lat  32,  9. 

ZALMONA,  an  encamp- 
ment  of  Israel,  while  in  the 
wilderness.  Some  suppose 
this  was  the  place  where  the 
brazen  serpent  was  raised. 

ZAMZAMIMS,  a  race  of 
mighty  giants,  who  probably 
sprang  from  Ham,  and  who 
dwelt  on  the  east  of  Jordan; 
they  were  finally  destroyed  by 
the  Ammonites,  Deut.  ii,  20. 

ZANOAH,  a  city  of  Cana- 
an, built  and  inhabited  by  Je- 
kuthiel  and  his  posterity.  There 
were  two  places  of  this  name, 
Josh,  xv,  34,  and  56,  and  ;Es- 
dras  iii,   13. 

ZAPHON,  a  city  of  Cana- 
an, of  the  tribe  of  Gad,  Josh, 
xiii,   27. 

ZAR  A,  a  city  of  Moab.  It 
was  taken  by  Alexander  Jan- 
nasus.     Josephus. 

ZARED,  or  Zered,  a 
brook  beyond  Jordan,  and  on 
the  frontier  of  the  Moabites. 
It  discharges  itself  into  the 
Dead  Sea,  or  is  perhaps  a 
branch  of  the  Anion.  See 
Numb,  xxi,  12;  Deut.  ii,  13, 
14.     Lat.   31,  6. 

ZARED,    a   valley   in    the 


ZAR 


ZEB 


land  of  Moab,  through  which 
the  brook  of  the  same  name 
ran.     Bonfrerius. 

ZAREPHATH,  or  Sarep- 
ta,  a  city  of  the  Sidonians, 
situate  in  Phoenicia,  between 
Tyre  and  Sidon,  upon  the  coast 
of  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  It  was 
remarkable  for  being  the  dwel- 
ling place  of  Elijah  the  prophet, 
(1  Kings  xvii,  9,  10)  while 
there  was  a  famine  in  the  land 
©f  Israel.  The  town  consists 
now  of  only  a  few  straggling 
houses  on  the  top  of  the  hills, 
half  a  mile  from  the  Mediterra- 
nean. Probably  the  town,  an- 
ciently, stood  between  these 
hills  and  the  sea,  an  extent  of 
ruins  is  now  visible  there.  In 
the  time  of  Jerome,  and  a  long 
time  after,  they  showed  the 
place  where  the  prophet  lived. 
Since  this,  a  church  has  been 
erected  on  the  spot;  the  wine 
ofSareptawas  celebrated.  The 
place  is  now  called  Saraphan. 
Maundrel,  Kimpton,  p.  233. 

ZARETHAN,  or  Zare- 
tan,  a  place  on  the  west  of  the 
Jordan,  near  to  which  the  wa- 
ter of  the  river  rose  in  a  pile,  a3 
Joshua  and  the  tribes  passed 
the  channel,  at  a  distance  be- 
low. Near  this  place  in  the 
plains  of  Jericho,  and  almost 
over  against  Succotb,  were 
the  great  vessels  of  the  temple 
east,  Joshua  iii,  16;  1  Kings 
v,  12. 


Z ARETH-  SHAHIR,  a  city 
of  the  tribe  of  Reuben,  beyond 
Jordan,  Josh,  xiii,  19. 

ZEBOIM,  one  of  the  four 
cities  of  Pentapolis,  that  was 
consumed  by  fire  from  heaven, 
Gen.  xvi,  2,  and  xix,  24.  Eu- 
sebius  and  St.  Jerome  speak  of 
Zeboim,  as  of  a  city  remain- 
ing in  their  time,  upon  the 
western  shore  of  the  Dead  Sea. 
Therefore  after  the  time  of 
Lot  and  Abraham,  this  city 
must  have  been  rebuilt,  about 
the  same  place  it  was  before. 
Mention  is  made  of  the  valley 
of  Zeboirn,  1  Sam.  xiii,  18, 
and  of  a  city  of  the  same  name 
in  the  tribe  of  Benjamin,  Neh. 
xi,  34.  This  last  is  mention- 
ed as  late  as  A.  D.  400. 

ZEBULUN,  a  city  of  the 
tribe  of  Asher,  but  which 
probably  was  afterwards  yield- 
ed to  the  tribe  of  Zebulun, 
whence  it  took  its  name,  Josh, 
xix,  27.  It  was  not  far  from 
Ptolemais,  since  Josephus 
makes  the  length  of  lower  Gal- 
iite  to  be  from  Tiberias  to 
Ptolemais.  Elon,  the  judge  of 
Israel,  was  of  the  tribe  of 
Zebu  u  i,  and  was  buried  in 
this  nlace,  Judges  xii. 

ZEBULON.  This  tribe  ex- 
tending from  the  Mediterranean 
to  the  sea  of  Galilee,  w  is  bet- 
ter situated  for  commerce  than 
perhaps  any  other  poition  of 
Canaan.      Had  Jacob  presided 


ZEM 


Z1D 


in  the  division  of  Canaan,  he 
could  not  have  described  the 
portions  of  the  tribes  more 
exactly.  He  hud  said,  "Zebulon 
shall  dwell  at  the  haven  of  the  sea, 
and  he  shall  be  for  a  haven  of 
ships."  When  this  tribe  came 
out  of  Egypt  it  had  57,400 
fighting  men.  In  another  re- 
view 39  years  after,  this  tribe 
amounted  to  60,500  fighting 
men.  This- tribe  and  Naph- 
tali  distinguished  themselves 
in  the  war  of  Deborah  and 
Barak,  against  Sisera.  It  is 
supposed  that  they  were  the 
first  carried  into  captivity,  be- 
yond the  Euphrates  by  Pui 
and  Tiglath-pileser,  kings  of 
Assyria.  These  tribes  had  the 
privilege  of  seeing  and  hearing 
Jesus  Christ  more  frequently 
than  any  other  portion  of  Israel. 

ZEDAD,  a  city  of  Syria, 
situate  to  the  north  of  the  land 
of  Promise,  Numb,  xxxiv,  8; 
Ezek.  xlvii,  15. 

ZELAH,  a  city  of  the  tribe 
of  Benjamin,  Josh,  xvii,  28, 
where  Saul  was  buried,  in  the 
tomb  of  his  father  Kish,  2  Sam. 
xxi,  14. 

ZEM AR AIM,  a  city  of 
Benjamin,  near  Bethel,  Josh, 
xviii,  22.  This  also  is  the 
name  given  to  the  mount  She- 
mer,  2  Chr.  xiii,  14.  The  Ze- 
maraites  were  descended  from 
the  tenth  son  of  Canaan,  who 
is  thought  to  have  inhabited 
Simyra,  a  city  of  Phoenicia, 
near  Orthosia. 

66 


Ze  m  a  r  a  i  m,  a  mountain  near 
the  above  city,  at  the  foot  of 
which  half  a  million  troops  of 
Jeroboam  were  slain  by  the 
army  of  Abijah,  Josh,  xviii, 
22;  2  Chr.  xiii,  4. 

ZEPHATH,  a  city  of  the 
tribe  of  Simeon,  Judges  i,  17. 
It  is  probably  the  same  with 
Zephathah;  and  was  called 
Hormah,  or  Anathema,  after 
the  victory  obtained  by  the  Is- 
raelites, over  the  king  of  Arad, 
Numb,  xxi,  3;  Judges  i,  17. 

ZEPHATHA.  The  valley 
of  Zephathah,  near  Maresha,  is 
mentioned  in  2  Chr.  xiv,  10. 

ZEREDA,a  city  of  the  tribe 
of  Ephraim,  the  place  of  the 
nativity  of  Jeroboam,  the  son 
of  Nebat,  1  Kings  xi,  26. 

ZEREDATHAH,  other- 
wise called  Zathau,  a  city  of  the 
tribe  of  Ephraim. 

ZlA,  Ziha,  Zie,  Siha,  or 
Siaha,  a  city  of  Canaan,  east 
of  the  Jordan,  and  five  miles 
west  from  Philadelphia. 

Zia,  a  part  of  Jerusalem, 
where  those  lived,  who  did  ser- 
vice in  the  temple. 

ZIDD1M,  a  city  of  Canaan 
in  the  tribe  of  Naphtali. 

ZIDON.     See  Sidon. 

ZIGLAG,  or  Ziklay,  a 
city  which  Achish,  king  of 
Gath,  gave  to  David,  while  he 
took  shelter  in  the  land  of  the 
Philistines;  and  which  after 
that  aiways  remained  as  a  do- 
main to  the  kings  of  Judah,  1 
Sam.  xxvii,  6.      The  Amale- 


Z!0 


ZIP 


kites  took  and  plundered  it  in 
the  absence  of  David.  Joshua 
had  allotted  it  to  the  tribe  of 
Simeon,  Josh,  xix,  5.  It  was 
situate  in  the  extreme  parts  of 
the  tribe  of  Judah  southward. 

ZIN,  or  Sin,  a  city  to  the 
south  of  the  land  of  Promise, 
Numb,  xxxiv,  4.  Perhaps  this 
may  be  the  same  with  Senah, 
Ezra  ii,  35,  or  Zin,  Josh,  xv, 
3.  This  name  seems  also  to 
be  applied  to  a  part,  or  to  the 
whole  of  the   desert  of  Paran. 

ZION,  a  mountain  upon 
which  the  temple  of  the  Lord 
was  built,  in  Jerusalem,  by  Sol- 
omon, and  where  David  built 
the  city  of  David,  over  against, 
and  to  the  north  of  the  ancient 
Jebus,  Ps.  xlviii,  2,  or  Jerusa- 
lem, which  stood  upon  the  hill 
opposite  to  Zion.  The  scrip- 
ture generally  puts  mount  Zi- 
on for  the  place,  where  the 
temple  of  the  Lord  stood;  but 
strictly  it  wTas  rather  upon 
mount  Moriah,  which  was  one 
of  the  hills  of  which  mount  Zi- 
on was  composed.  Mr.  Re- 
land  pretends,  that  mount  Zion 
was  to  the  south  of  Jerusalem, 
and  not  to  the  north.  The 
reader  may  consult  his  reasons. 
See  Moriah.  A  part  of  Zion, 
situated  on  its  extremity,  was 
called  Millo,  of,  or  in,  the  city 
of  David,  2  Chr.  xxxii,  5. 
Modern  travellers,  who  have 
been  upon   the  spot,  say,  that 


Zion  is  the  whole  of  the 
mountain,  on  which  Jerusalem 
stands  at  this  day,  though  not 
to  the  extent  in  which  it  an- 
ciently stood  on  the  same 
mountain,  this  appears  Psalms 
ix,  12,  15;  lxv,  1;  lxxxvii;  Isai. 
Ixii,  1.  It  is  swelled  in  several 
eminences  or  tops;  as  Moriah, 
Acra,  Bezetha,  and  Zion,  a 
particular  eminence,  or  mount 
Zion  proper,  &c.  encompassed 
on  three  sides,  east,  west,  and 
south,  with  one  continued, 
very  deep,  and  steep  valley,  by 
means  of  which  it  was  impreg- 
nable on  these  thrte  sides,  and 
always  attacked,  and  taken,  ac- 
cording to  Josepbus,  by  the 
enemy  on  the  north  side,  where 
mount  Zion  becomes  level, 
and  the  vales  of  Gihon  and 
Jehoshaphat,  gradually  lose 
themselves.  This  deep,  and 
steep  valley,  incontestibly  con- 
stitutes the  compass  of  the  old 
Jerusalem  on  those  three  sides, 
as  plainly  appears  to  any  per- 
son, who  has  been  upon  the 
spot. 

ZIOR,  or  Si  or,  a  city  of 
Judea,  of  the  tribe  of  Judah, 
Josh,  xv,  54. 

ZIPH,  a  city  of  the  tribe  of 
Judah,  Josh,  xv,  24.  St.  Je- 
rome says,  that  even  in  his 
time  they  shewed  the  village  of 
Ziph,  eight  miles  from  Hebron. 

Ziph.  It  appears  that  there 
was  still    another  '  city  called 


ZOA 


ZOH 


2iph,  near  Maori  and  Carmel 
of  Judah,  Josh,  xv,  55. 

Ziph,  wilderness  oJ\  a  desert 
in  the  tribe  of  Judah,  on  the 
border  of  Edovn,  where  David 
was  a  fugitive,  lying  to  the 
south-east  of  Hebron;  so  ealled 
from  Ziph,  or  Siph,  a  two-fold 
town  in  this  tribe,  the  one  more 
to  the  south,  towards  Idumea, 
on  the  confines  of  Elcutherop- 
olis,  the  other ehrht  miles  to  the* 
east  of  Hebron,  towards  the 
Dead  sea,  inclining  southwards, 
because,  near  mount  Carmel. 
Plere  was  a  mountain,  mention- 
ed 1  Sam.  xxiii,  14,  in  which 
David  abode,  said  by  Je- 
rome to  be  rugged,  dismal, 
and  always  overcast.  The 
name  of  the  mountain  is  from 
the  Hebrew  word  Zephath, 
which  signifies  pitch,  an  article 
in  which  this  region  abound- 
ed.    Kim  p  ton. 

ZIPHRON,  a  city  north  of 
the  Land  of  Promise,  Numb, 
xxxiv,  9.  St.  Jerome  says, 
that  it  is  Zephirium  in  Cilicia. 

ZIZ.  It  is  thought  this  is  the 
same  with  Ziza,  which  Ptolemy 
places  in  Arabia  Petrea. 

ZOAN,  the  most  ancient 
royal  city  of  Egypt,  where  re- 
sided the  court  of  the  Phara- 
ohs. Several  of  the  miracles 
wrought  by  Moses,  are  said  to 
have  been  exhibited  in  the 
fields  of  Zoan.  By  the  Greeks 
this  city  was  called  Tanis,  from 


which  circumstance  we  are 
able  to  ascertain  its  situation, 
for  Tanis  was  on  the  second 
mouth  of  the  Nile,  east,  of 
course,  and  not  far  from  the 
lied  Sea.  This  branch  of  the 
river,  from  the  name  of-  this 
city,  was  called  the  Tanitic 
mouth,  or  the  mouth  by  Tanis. 
See  Tanis. 

ZOAR,  a  city  of  Pentapo- 
lis,  lying  on  the  southern  ex- 
tremity of  the  Dead  sea.  It 
was  intended  to  be  consumed 
by  fire  from  heaven,  together 
with  the  other  cities,  but  at  the 
intercession  of  Lot,  it  was  pre- 
served, Gen.  xix,  22.  It  had 
been  called  Bela,  but  when 
Lot  entreated  of  the  angel,  that 
he  might  take  refuge  there,  and 
often  insisted  on  the  small ness 
of  the  place,  it  received  the 
name  of  Zoar,  which  in  Hebrew 
signifies  small  or  little.  St. 
Jerome,  however,  supposes  the 
place  was  called  Bela,  because 
as  soon  as  Lot  left  it,  it  was 
swallowed  up  by  an  earthquake; 
Bela  signifies  to  swallow  up. 

ZOBAH,  a  kingdom  of  Sy- 
ria, not  far  from  Damascus. 
Rehob  and  Hadezer  were  kings 
of  this  country,  2   Sam.   viii. 

ZOHELETH.  The  stone 
of  Zoheleth  was  near  the  foun- 
tain Royei  or  En-regel,  just 
under  the  walls  of  Jerusalem, 
1  Kings  i,  9.  Some  think  it 
was   useful   to  the  fullers,  or 


zuz 


zuz 


whitsters,  to  beat  their  cloths 
upon,  after  they  had  washed 
them.  When  Adonijah  ex- 
alted himself  saying,  I  will  be 
king,  he  slew  sheep,  and  oxen, 
and  fat  cattle,  by  the  stone  of 
Zoheleth. 

ZORAH,  a  city  of  Judah, 
which  was  built,  or  fortified  by 
Rehoboam,  2  Chr.  xi,  10. 

Zorah,  a  city  belonging  to 
the  tribe  of  Dan,  and  the  birth 
place  of  Samson,  Judges  xiii, 
2.  It  was  upon  the  frontier  of 
this  tribe,  and  that  of  Judah, 
not  far  from  Esthael. 

ZUZIMS,  certain  giants, 
who  dwelt  beyond  Jordan,  and 


who  were  conquered  by  Ham, 
by  Chedorlaomer  and  his  al- 
lies, in  the  year  of  the  world 
2079,  Gen.  xiv,  5.  The  Vul- 
gate and  Septuagint  say,  they 
were  conquered  with  the  Reph- 
aims  in  Ashteroth-karnaim. 
The  Chaldee  interpreters,  have 
taken  Zuzim  in  the  sense  of  an 
appellative,  for  stout  and  val- 
iant men;  and  the  Septuagint 
have  rendered  the  word  Zuzim 
robust  nations.  We  meet  with 
the  word  Z'.jzims  only  in  this 
place.  Calniet  is  of  opinion, 
that  the  Zuzims,  are  the  same 
with  the  Zamzummims.  See 
Rephaims. 


THE    END. 


ERRATA  ET  ADDENDA. 


In  the  article  Damascus,  for  Ju- 
dela,  read  Tudela.  In  the  article 
Paradise,  for  America  read  Ar- 
menia. 

ARBATTIS,  a  town  of  Palestine 
near  to  Galilee. 

ARBELA,  a  town  of  Galilee. 

A  RCA,  a  city  in  the  tribe  of 
Asher. 

ARCE,  the  capital  of  Arabia 
Petrea. 

ARAXES,  a  celebrated  river  of 
Asia,  supposed  to  have  its  source 
in  mount  Ararat,  and  by  some 
thought  to  be  the  Gihon,  mentioned 
in  Genesir,  as  one  of  the  rivers  of 
Paradise.  In  Hebrew,  Gihon  sig- 
nifies impetuous,  or  to  flow  with 
impetuosity,    so   does    Araxes    in 


Greek,  and  this  stream  is  large  and 
rapid,  especially,  at  the  season, 
when  the  snows  of  the  mountains 
dissolve.  The  noise  of  its  waters 
is  terrific,  boats  are  dashed  in  pieces 
by  its  fury,  and  its  violence  disdains 
a  bridge.     See  Gihon. 

ARBA.     See  Hebron. 

ARCHELAIS,  a  city  of  Judea, 
built  by  Archelaus,  son  of  Herod 
the  Great:  it  is  supposed  to  have 
stood  on  the  plain  to  the  west  of 
Jordan.     Lat.  31,  54. 

ARCHI,  a  city  or  Palestine  on 
the  east  of  Jordan,  in  the  tribe  of 
Mar.asseh. 

ARETH,  or  Haueth,  a  forest  of 
Judea,  in  which  David  concealed 
himself  from  Saul. 


SUBSCRIBERS'S  NAMES. 


Capt.  W.  Andrews,  Ipswich 

Wm.  Atwood,  Pclham,  n.  h. 

Daniel  Abbot,  Esq.  Dunstable,  n.  h. 

Rev.  Samuel  Austin, D.D.Worcester 

Jonathan  Aiken,  a.b.  Goffsto\vn,N.H. 

Dea.  Phinehas  A»ken,  Bedford,  n.h. 

Rev- Wm. Andrews,  Windliam,Con. 

Leonard  Adams,  Dartm.  college 

Josiah  Adams,  Byfield 

Gibbins  Adams,  do. 

Jonathan  Adams,  Providence,  R.  i. 

Samuel  Arnold,         do. 

Otis  Ammidon,         do. 

Capt.  David  Alexander,  Dunbarton 

Mrs.  Jane  Aiken,  Goffstown 

Rev.  Thomas  Andross,  Berkely 

Dea.  John  Adams,  Andover 

Benj.  Allen,  ll  d  Brighton 

Jonathan  Burnham,  Ipswich 

Benjamin  Burnham,         do. 

Benjamin  Burnham,  jun.  do. 

Mrs.  Ann  Burnham,     do. 

Mrs.  Mary  Baker,         do. 

Charles  Bowen,  Esq.  Northfield,  5 

B.  Brown,  jrn.  Vassalboro' 

Zach.  Bro-.    .,  jun  New  Ipswich 

Josiah  Batcheiler,  jun.  do. 

Francis  Bliss,         do. 

Capt.  Asa  Blodget,Nottingham,  n.  h. 

Elijah  Brigham,  jun.  Westboro',  2 

Wm.  Beeton,         do. 

Otis  Brigham,       do. 

Jacob  Burbank,  Washington,  n.  h.  5 

Ch.  A.  Bagley,  Goffstown,  n.  h. 

Capt.  Nathan  Barns,  Bedford 

Miss  Sally  Burnham,  Dunbarton 

Aver  Brown,  Hamilton 

Capt.  Nathl.  Burnham 

Rev.Wm.G  Ballantine, Washington 

Amos  Barrett,  Hinsdale 

Rev.  Abijah  Blanchard,  Principal 
of  the  Grammar  School,  and  Su- 
perintendant  of  the  Lancaster 
School,  Waterford,  n.  y.  3  copies 

Nathaniel  Bancroft,  Reading 

Jonathan  Bancroft,  jun.  do. 

Aaron  Bancroft,  do. 

Jedde  Brown,  do. 

David  Ball,  do. 


George  Blake,  Springfield 
Robert  Blinn,  Provid<  nee,  n.  J. 
James  Burrill,         do. 
Nicholas  Brown,     do. 
Alpheus  Billings,   do. 
Rev.  Joshua  Bates,  Dedham 
Moses  Bricket,  Newbury 
Mrs.  Mary  Burroughs,  Boston. 
Rev.    Ch.   Burroughs,  Portsmouth 
Hon.  S.  Betton,  Esq.  Salem,  Me. 
Andrew  Brimmer,  Boston,  2  copies 
John  L.  Blake,  student  in  Divinity, 

Providence,  r.  i. 
Ebtn.  Burgess,  Tutor  Brown  Uni» 

versity,  Providence 
Rufus  Brown,  Bristol,  n.  v. 
Dea.  Joshua  Chaplain,  Rowley 
Capt.  William  Colman,  Byfield 
Wm.  Church,  Providence,  r.  i. 
Samuel  Currie,         do. 
Samuel  Carlisle,       do. 
Amos  Clark,  Dedham 
Rev.  John  Codman,  Dorchester 
Oliver  T.  Cathcart,  Goshen 
Rev.  Thomas  Crafts,  Middleboro' 
Parker  Cleaveland,  Esq.  Byfield 
Nehemiah  Cleveland,Esq.Topsfield 
Moses  Colman,  Byfield 
Mary  Coombs,  Newburyport 
Mrs.  Mary  Colman,  do. 
Thaddeus  Chapin,  Canandaigua,N.Y. 
Eli  Clark,  do. 

Jonathan  Cogswell,  Esq.  Ipswich 
William  Cogswell,  jun.        do. 
Nathan  Choate,  do. 

Abner  Choate,'  do. 

Joseph  Choate,  do. 

Mrs.  Miriam  Choate,  do. 

John  Choate,  do. 

George  Choate,  do. 

Clarke  Chandler,  Esq.  Col  rain 
William  Cogswell,  Hampton 
Seth  Cutter,  jun.  Pelham,  n.  h. 
Thomas  Caileton,  Vassalboro' 
Harvey  Chapin,  Springfield 
Rev.  J.  H.  Church,  Pelham,  n.  h. 
Rev.  John  Crane,  d.  d.  Northbridgc 
Dea.  John  Craig,  Bedford 
Lieut.  Th.  Caldwell,  jr,  Dunbarton 


Subscribers^  Names. 


l)ca.  "flics.  Cochran,  New-Boston 
Dea.  Robert  Clarke,  do. 
Daniel  Cogswell,  Ipswich 
Samuel  Chandler,Esq. Bedford,  n.h. 
Mellin  Chamberlain,  Dartrm  Coll. 
Benjamin  Colman,  Byfield 
Jonathan  Cuitis,  a.b,  Hallowell,Me. 
Nehemiah  Dodge,  Ipswich 
Dr.    Edward  Dean,  Bath,  n.  h.  5 
Capt-  Richard  Dole,  Bedford 
Rev.  Gordon  Dorrance,  Wmdsor 
Dr.  Trumbull  Dorrance,  Dtdton 
F.  Drake,  Esq.  Saratoga  county.N.Y. 
Miss  Susan  Damarest,  Waterford 
Richard  Davis,  Esq.  do. 
Moses  Dole,  Byfield 
John  Dole,         do. 
Benj.  G   Dexter,  Providence,  r.  i. 
John  Dwinell,  Manchester 
Frederick  Dickenson, Northampton 
David  Dunlap,  Esq  Brunswick, Me. 
Wendell  Davis,  Esq.  Sandwich 
Miss  Mary  A.  Davies,  Newburyport 
Amos  Emehy,  Byfield 
Rev.  Reuben  Emerson,  S.Reading,2 
Rev.  Joseph  Field,  Charlemont. 
Elisha  Fisk,  Wrentham,  5  copies 
Rev.  Jona.  Fisher,  Bluehiil,  Me.  5 
Joseph  Fowle,  jun.  Esq.  Hampton 
Capt.  Solo.  Fay,  Westboro' 
Josiah  Forsaith,  Goffstown,  n.  h. 
Stephen  French,  Bedford,  n.  h. 
Capt.  Moses  Foster,  Hamilton 
Capt.  Jos.  S.  Foster,       do. 
Cooledge  Forbush,  Westboro' 
William  Fay,  do. 

Amos  Ford,  Windsor 
Miss  Philena  Francis,  Hinsdale 
Dea.  Benj.  Farnum,  Andover 
Elihu  Fay,  Westboro' 
Ann  Francis,  Newburyport. 
Thomas  Giddings,  Ipswich 
Samuel  Giddings,         do. 
Rev.  Samuel  Gile,  Milton,  8  copies 
Elizabeth  C.  Griffin,  Dracut 
Rev.  Joseph  Goffe,  Sutton 
Elijah  Gleason,  Westboro' 
Jotham  Gillie,  Goffstown,  n.  h. 
Theodore  Goff,  Bedford 
Dr.  Jonathan  Gove,  Esq.  Goffstown 
William  Green,  Dumbarton 


Miss  Clarissa  Gove,  Goffstowtt 

John  Gilcrest,  do. 

John  Goodwin,  Reading 

Rev.   Eliph.  Gillet,  Hailowell,  Me 

Samuel  Godfrey,  Providence,  r.  i. 

John  H  Greene,         do. 

James  Gould,  Esq.  Gill 

Thomas  Gage,  Byfield 

Nathan  Guvney,  jun  Esq.  Abington 

David  Gilbert,  Bristol,  n.  y. 

Jehemiah  Hill,  Boston 

Rev.  Richard  Hall,  New-Ipswich 

Lieut. Nehe.  Huichinson,  Dunstable 

Mrs.   Agnes    Hemphill,  Windham 

Elias  Haskell,  Waldoboro',  Me. 

James  HUweis,  jun   Wevtboro', 

Theophiius  Hcnick,  Gloucester 

Benjamin  Haskell,  do.  2  copies 

Rev. Daniel  Huntington, Bridgwater 

Thomas  Hammond,  Dunbarton 

James  S.  Morton,  Grafton 

George  Henry,  Merrimac  2  copies 

Rev.  Moses  Hallock,  Piainfield 

John  House,  Waterford,  n.  y. 

John  Heath,  Esq.  Roxbury 

James  H.  Harris,  Dartm.  College 

Joshua  Holt,  do. 

Geo.  A.  Hailowell,  Providence,  r.  i. 

George  Holroyd,         do. 

Henry  Hoppin,  do. 

Benjamin  Hoppin,       do. 

Rev.  WTalter  Harris,  Dumbarton 

Robert  Hail,  Goffstown 

Jared  Hawks,  Goshen 

William  Hyde,  St  Co.  Bath,  Me.    i 

Robert  Howell,  Newbury 

Dea.  Joseph  Hale,  Byfield 

Dea.  Joshua  Holt,  Greenfield 

Sarah  Hale,  Newburyport 

Thomas  P.  Ives,  Providence 

Timothy  Jones,  Berlin,  5  copies 

Dr.  Benj.  A  Joslin,  Hoosack,  n.  y. 

Nathaniel  Jaquiih,  Reading 

J.,mes  Jones,  Goffstown 

James  Jones,  Greenwich 

Dr.  Benjamin  Jones,  Lyndeborough 

Rev.  Caleb  Knight,  Hinsdale,  10 

Richard  Knight,  Do. 

Alva  Kimball,  Springfield 

Joseph  Knight,  Brown  University. 

Daniel  Low,  Ipswich 


Subscribers^  Names. 


Jeremiah  Low,  Ipswich 

Shubael  Lcvit,  Hampton 

John  Lawrence,  Ashley 

Rev.  Otis  Lane,  Sturbridge 

Rev.  Joseph  Lee,  Royalston,  Mass  5 

D.  K.  Lighthall,  Wateribrd,  n.  y. 

Charles  Lewis,  Reading 

Samuel  Lees,  Byfield 

Rev.  Daniel  Love  joy,  Fairfield,  Me. 

Zebediah  Lothrop,  Providence 

Joshua  H.  Langley,  Do.  * 

Jonathan  Lyman,  Goshen 

Mrs.  Priscilla  Longfellow,  Byfield 

Edmund  Little,  Newbury 

Rev.  Bailey  Loring,  Andover 

John  M'Kenzxe,  Ipswich 

Rodolphus  Miller.  Esq.  Westboro' 

Thomas  Morse,  jr   Do. 

Miss  Sally  B.  M'Qucston,  Bedford 

Dea.  Wm.  Moore.  Do. 

Dea.  John  Mills,  Dunbarton 

Capt.  Matthew  S.  M'Curdy,  Do.   . 

Lieut.  Thomas  Mills  Do. 

Jedidiah  Morse, D.D.  Charlestown  2 

Cyrus  Mann,  a.m.  Dartmouth  Coll. 

David  Mighiil,  Rowley 

Joseph  R.  Mason,  Providence 

Joseph  S.  Martin,  Do. 

Vv  iiliam  M'Qucston,  Goffstown, 

Robert  M'Gaw,  Merrimac 

Col.  Robert  M'Gregore,  Goffstown, 

Ambrose  Marsh,  Milton 

John  Marble,  Bradford 

Ebenezer  New-hall  New  Ipswich 

Noah  Norton,  Abington, 

John  Nelson,  Leicester 

Miss  Sally  B.  Neal,  Goffstown 

Timothy  Nichols,  Reading 

Richard  Nichols,  Do. 

Rev.#  S.  Nott,  Franklinton,  Conn. 

Ephraim  Noyes,  Byfield 

Solomon  Noble,  Blancliord,  Mass. 

Dorcas  Noyes,  Newburyport 

Miss  Mary  Orr,  Bedford 

John  Orr,  Esq.  Do. 

Mrs.  Hannah  Osgood,  Andover 

Isaac  Osgood,  Esq.  Do. 

Rev,  Jona.  Osgood,  Gardner,  Mass. 

James  Perkins,  Ipswich 

Mibs  Lucy  Perkins,  Do. 

Jonas  Patch,  Ashby 


Jeremiah  Prichard,  jr.  New  Ipswich 

Wm.  Parsons,  Conway,  Mass. 

Andrew  Peters,  Esq.  Westboro' 

Joel  Parker,  Do 

Robert  B    Parkman,  Do. 

William  Parker,  Goffstown, 

Jacob  Peiiey,  Dunbarton 

Nathan  Parker.  Esq.  Merrimac 

Capt.  William  Parker,  Dunbarton 

Aaron  Philips,  Merrimac  2  copies 

Breck  Parkman,  Esq   Westboro* 

Charles  Parkman.  Do. 

Rev.  Jcpthah  Pool,  Savoy 

Dr.  Elijah  Porter,  Waterford;  n.  y. 

William  Parker,  Reading 

David  Pratt,  Do. 

Nathan  Plummcr.  Newburyport 

Jonas  Parker,  jr  Reading 

Col.  Nathan  Parker,  Do. 

Amos  Parker,  Do. 

Ira  Pearson,  Do. 

Joseph  Perry,  Dartmouth  College 

James  Palmer,  Byfield 

Jacob  Pcrley,  Do. 

Amelia  Parish,  Newbury 

Theophilus   Packard,  Shelburne,  5 

Charles  Peabody,  Bradford 

Caleb  Packard,  Springfield 

Lieut.  Geo.  Poor,  Goffstown,  n.  h. 

William  Parker,  jr.  Do. 

James  Parker,  Esq.  Bedford 

William  Parker,  Goffstown 

Edward  Page,  Do. 

Thomas  Pollard,  Do. 

Capt.  John  Perrom,  Manchester 

Rev.  Warren  Pierce,  Milton, 

Samuel  Poor,  Newbury 

Josiah  Parker,  Byfield 

Col.  Samuel  Pearson,  Providence, 
r.  i.  25  copies 

Daniel  Putman,jr.  Lunenburg 

A.  Picket,  New-York 

John  Palmer,  Rowley 

Elisha  Parish,  Esq.  Bristol,  x.  y. 

Esther  Park,  Newburyport 

Marcus  Piatt,  Foxborough 

Rev.  EzekielRich,  E.  Greenwich 

Samuel  Redington,  Esq  Vassalboro' 

Isaac  Riddle,  Esq.  Bedford,  n.  h. 

William  Riddle,  Do. 

Daniel  Roberts,  Hamilton 


Subsoribers's  Names. 


Rev.  Eiisha  Rockwood,  Westboro' 

Philemon  Richardson,  Reading 

Azor  Richardson,  Do. 

Cornelius  Richardson,  Do. 

Asa  Richardson,  jr.  Do. 

Hugh  Riddle,  Bedford 

Daniel  Row,  Goffstown 

Asaph  Rice,  Northborough 

Thomas  Skwall,  m.  d.  Ipswich,  30 

Stephen  Story,  Do- 

Elisha  Story,  Do. 

Alvan  Sanderson,  Ashfield 

Rev.  Jotham  Sewall,  Chesterfield 

Zach.  Stearns,  Gloucester 

Dr.  John  Stevens,  Goffstown,  n.  h. 

Lieut.  Moody  Stevens, 

David  Story,  Esq  Dunbarton 

Samuel  B.  Saltmash,  Goffstown 

Rev.  John  Smith,  Salem,  n.  h. 

Moses  Scott,  Esq.  Waterford 

Jeremiah  Spofford,  Rowley,  5  copies 

Solomon  Stickney^  Byfield 

Samuel  C.  Shuter,  Do. 

Society  of  Social  Friends,Dart.Col.5 

John  Sanderson,  Middlebury,  Vt. 

Augustus  Saunders,  Providence 

John  Smith,  Dunbarton 

Dr.  Symmes  Sawyer,  Do. 

Joseph  Sargent,  Goffstown 

Jeremiah  Searle,  Newbury 

Rev.  R.  S.  Storrs,  Braintree,  2  cop. 

Frederic  South  gate,  Tutor  Bowdoin 

College 
Daniel  M.  Spafford,  Rowley     • 
Sarah  Spragnes,  Newburyport 
Mrs.  Sally  Somerby,  Do. 
John  Sleeper,  Ditto 
James  Tufts,  Wardsborough 
Hon.  Christopher  Tappan,Hampton 
Hart  Talbot,  New  Ipswich 
Stephen  Thurston,  Goffstown,  n.  h. 
Capt.  Shubael  Tenney,  Dunbarton 
John  Taylor,  New-Salem, 
Saroh  Tyler,  Mcthuen 
Elizabeth  Tenney,  Byefield 
Capt.  N.  Tucker,  Milton 
Oliver  Taylor,  Goshen,  Mass. 
Rev.  Samuel  C.  Thatcher,  Boston 
David  Tenney,  Student  Harv.  Col.  5 
Miss  Mary  Titcomb,  Newbury 


John  Taylor,  Bristol,  n.  y. 
Kaac  Upton,  Reading 
Daniel  Van  Alstike,  Esq.  Water- 
ford,  n  y. 
Isaac  Ver  Velin,  Ditto 
Guevt  Van  Schoonhaven,  Esq.  Do. 
John  Vibbard,  Ditto 

John  Wheelock,  l.  l.  d.  President 

of  Dart.  College 
Thomas  H.  Wood,  Halifax,  Vt. 
Rev.  Luther  Wright,  Medway 
Capt.  Thomas  Ward,  Hampton 
Rev.  Josiah  Webster,  Ditto 
Rev.  Avery  Williams, Xexington 
J.  C.  Washburn,  Esq.  Fairfax,  Me. 
Newton  Willey,  New-Ipswich 
Franklin  White,  Springfield 
John  Wilder,  Hingham 
John  Williams,  Esq.  Conway,Mass. 
Amos  Warren,  Charlestown 
Win.  Whipple,  Gloucester 
Lieut.  Thomas  Wallace,  Goffstown 
Thomas  Whittle,  Ditto 
George  Wood,  Rowley 
Nicholas  Woodbury,  Hamilton 
Calvin  Waldo,  Esq   Dalton 
William  Ward,  Worthington, 
E.  Whitney,  A.  m.  Waterford  n.  y. 
W.  W.  Woodward,  Phiadelphia,2G> 
Samuel  Woodbridge,  Reading 
Susanna  Winn,  Ditto 
Joseph  Wheeler,  Ditto 
Capt.  Abijah  Weston,  Ditto 
Palemon  Wolcut.  Cumberland 
Joseph  Wood,  Westminster 
Joseph  Wardvvell,  Dart.  College 
Amos  Wood,  Ditto 
Eli  Warren,  Westborough 
Alfred  Warner,  Springfield 
Silas  Wyman,  Reading 
Thomas  S.  Webb,  Providence,  r  i. 
Miss   Esther   Wadsworth,  Milton, 
William  White,  Goshen 
Henry  Whipple,  Sa'cm  25 
A.  Woodward,  Esq.  Medfield,  15 
Isaac  Winslow,  Esq.  Boston 
Rev  James  W-lson,Providence,R.i. 
Gamaliel  Wilder,  Esq.  Bristol,  n.  y. 
Jonathan  Wilder,  Ditto 
Rev.  Nathan  Waldo,  Plainfield,  n.  y, 


**&& 


Nf 


inVW 


